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Book_ j _8 18 - 

Gopyiight N?__ 


COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 












PLANTS and INSECTS 

ILLUSTRATED 

AND INTERSPERSED WITH POEMS 
Compiled as Vol. VIII 


OF THE 


BOYS AND GIRLS’ FIRESIDE SERIES 

By A. L. BYERS 


GOSPEL TRUMPET COMPANY 
ANDERSON, IND. 

Los Angeles, Cal. Kansas City, Mo. 

132/2 S. Spring St. 1116 McGee St. 








Copyright, 1921, 
by 

GOSPEL TRUMPET COMPANY 


JUN -2 1321 


§) Cl. A 614 5 9 3 



PREFACE 

The Boys and Girls’ Fireside Series is a col¬ 
lection of many excellent and interesting nar¬ 
ratives, trips and adventures, little sermons, 
Bible stories, descriptions of nature, of various 
industries and of foreign customs, bits of biog¬ 
raphy and history, missionary experiences, 
little poems, etc., that have been gleaned from 
various writers. It is believed that they will 
form a treasure-store of useful reading in 
which boys and girls will find both pleasure and 
profit. 




CONTENTS 


Some of Their Queer Ways . 

The Thirst-Quenching- Air-Plant . 

Some Crawling Leaves . 

Two Deadly Foes of the Ants . 

Ants Have Combs . 

God is Good (Poem). 

A Diligent Worker . 

A Pound of Honey .. 

Very Interesting Tropical Insects .-. 

The Song of the Old Oak-Tree (Poem)-.— 

The Cotton-Plant . 

Bamboo ..-. 

Some National Flowers . 

Purple and Gold (Poem) . 

Spiders and Their Webs .. 

Spider-Webs ..-... 

Story of the Fly . 

Plant Insect-Traps ... 

Ant-Cows ... 

The Hawk-Moths .....-.- 

The Codling-Moth and Plum-Curculio . 

Some Curious Fellows to Meet . 

Springtime in the Woods .. 

Useful and Beautiful Insects .— 

A Delicious Fruit .-. 

Winged Beauties of the Clover-Field—. 

Song of the Grasshopper . 

A Destructive Insect . 

Snout-Beetles and How They Injure Nuts 

The Beautiful Roses .. 

Wild Flowers of the Middle West .. 

The Silk-Worm ...-.r-. 

A Honey-Bee .-. 

The Dandelion ...-. 

About Mosquitoes . 

Mosquities and Their Boats . 

The Cacao-Tree . 

Different Species of the Cactus . 

A Study of Centipedes .. 

How Mistletoe Affects its Host . 

Poisonous Plants .—-... 

Katydids . 

The Mud-Dauber and its Ways ... 

Interesting Nuts on Tropical Shores . 

O Lovely Autumn Leaves ...-. 

The California Yucca .1... 

Interesting Facts about Nuts .. 

Bananas in Trinidad ..-.. 

The Mango and Other Tropical Fruits . 

Out-of-Doors Arithmetic . 

Beetles ...—.-... 

Home Life in an Ant Colony . 

The Pitcher-Plant ....... 

The Millets that Help Feed the World . 

The Pomegranate .. 

Peculiar Habits of Certain Species of Ants 

The Ackee ...—. 

My First Experience with Winged Ants .. 

Propagation of Ferns . 

The Orange-Tree ... 

Bread-Fruit .... 

The Beech-Tree in Winter .. 

The Night-Blooming Cereus ... 

How I Caught a Butterfly . 

A Plant that Coughs .... 

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PLANTS AND INSECTS 


SOME OF THEIR QUEER WAYS 


D ID you ever watch the clover go to sleep in the evening about dark, 
and drop their little leaf-heads, for all) the world as if they were 
nodding? The wood-sorrel does the same, and the leaves of the locust- 
tree. 

A good many flowers, also, close their petals at nightfall and go to 
sleep. However, there are owls among flowers, as well as among birds 
and people, who like to lie awake at night and sleep during the day. 
The night-blooming cereus is one of the most beautiful flowers in the 
world, when one looks down into its deep cup and sees row upon row 
of delicate white, waxy petals enfolding each other in such matchless 
grace, and the hundreds and hundreds of yellow-tipped stamens and 
pistils forming its heart of gold. But it blooms only at night, and just 
one night. When the sun rises its pretty petals grow) limp and brown 
and droop over its golden heart. Its beauty is gone forever. 

Another curious thing about plants which you may not have no¬ 
ticed is the Way they turn the top side of their leaves to the sun or 
light. If you place a plant in the window, you will find that soon each 
leaf has turned its greenest face toward the window where the light 
comes in. 

Now turn the pot entirely around, and in a little while every leaf 
will have twisted itself around, sometimes in what would seem to be 
rather uncomfortable positions, in orderl to again face the light. 

But the queerest of all plant ways is that of the Dionaea muscipula, 
or Venus’ fly-trap. It grows in the sandy bogs of the southeastern part 
of North Carolina. At the top where the leaf seems about to end, it 
spreads out again into a sort of folder like the back of a book, only with 
a spring in the middle that makes it clap together like a steel rat-trap 
if the least thing touches it. On the top surface and along the edges 
are fine hairs, and if a fly buzzing by even touches one of those hairs, 
“clap” goes the little trap and Mr. Fly is squeezed to death between 

the two flaps. 


5 



6 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


THE THIRST-QUENCHING AIR-PLANT 


A SURVEYING party: in Florida, says the Michigan Christian Ad- 
•*** vocate, were resting at noon in a forest, when one of the men 
exclaimed: “I would give fifty cents a swallow for all the water I 
could drink!” 

He expressed the sentiment of the others. All were very thirsty, 
and there was not a spring or stream anywhere in the vicinity. 

While the men werej thus talking, the surveyor saw a crow put his 
hill into a cluster of broad, long leaves growing on the side of a tall 
cypress. The leaves were those of a peculiar air-plant. They were 
green, and bulged out at the bottom, forming an inverted bell. The 
smaller end was held to the tree by roots grappling the bark. Feeding 
on the air and the water that it catches and holds, the air-plant becomes 
a sort of cistern. The surveyor sprang to his feet with a laugh. 

“Boys,” he said, “that old crow is wiser than every one of us. He 
knows that there are a hundred thousand water-tanks in this forest.” 

“Where!” they cried. 

The surveyor cut an air-plant in two and drained nearly a pint of 
pure cold water from it. The m^n did not suffer for water after that, 
for every tree in the forest had at least one air-plant, and almost 
every air-plant contained a drink of water. — Exchange . 


SOME CRAWLING LEAVES 

W HEN Australia was first discovered by the English, many strange 
tales were told about the new and wonderful things to be found 
there. Among other things it was said that the leaves of a certain tree 
at times came down from the branches and walked along the ground. 

A party of Ehglish sailors had left their ship, to roam along the 
shore and ‘ 4 see what they could see. ’ ’ They were resting under a tree, 
lying on their backs and gazing upwfard, when a sudden breeze shook 
the tree, and a number of leaves fell from the twigs, turned somer¬ 
saults in the air, as leaves do, and floated to the ground. The sailors 
were surprized at this shower, because it was midsummer, and not the 
time for leaves to fall; besides, these leaves looked fresh and green. 
It was strange to see them deserting the tree without any reason; but 
this was nothing to what followed. 



TWO DEADLY FOES OF THE ANTS 


i 

After a short rest, these able-bodied leaves began crawling along 
the ground toward the trunk of the tree from which they came, and the 
amazed sailors started up in terror. They took to their heels at once 
and lost no time in getting back to the boat. 

This strange incident has been explained by later travelers who 
were not too much frightened tO( stop and examine the matter. It was 
discovered that these queer leaves are really insects that live upon the 
trees, and are the same color as the foliage. They have thin, flat 
bodies, shaped like the leaves, and when anything disturbs them, like 
a breeze, they fold their legs away under their bodies, and then the 
leaf-like shape, stem and all, is complete. 

Not only are they bright green in summer, like the foliage of the 
trees at that time, but they actually change when the leaves do to the 
dull brown produced by frost. Another peculiarity of these leaf- 
insects is that, although they have a generous supply of wings, they 
seldom use them, but when they have been shaken to the ground, after 
lying there a few minutes as if they were really leaves, they crawl to¬ 
ward the tree and up the trunk without seeming to know that they 
could get back to their quarters in a much quicker and easier way. 

—Selected. 


TWO DEADLY FOES OF THE ANTS 

W E read in Gen. 1:25, “And God made the beast of the earth 
after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that 
creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was ^ood.” 
It is true also that, having created every animal, bird, fish, and insect, 
he made provision for food to sustain life; which shows the infinite 
wisdom of God and his care for all his creatures. 

Looked at from one viewpoint, it is hard to understand why the 
little grub called the ant-eater was created; but when we remember 
that if is God’s handiwork, then We know it M for some good purpose 
and fills its place in the creation. Ant-eaters are found in different 
parts of the world, but the little fellow I have in mind is a native of 
Australia. The color of his body is a light cream, while his head is 
brown. He measures three-quarters of an inch in length and one- 
sixteenth of an inch in diameter and his legs are hardly visible to the 
naked eye. Not a very formidable foe, you will say,, and yet when in 



8 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


his home on an ant-hill he deals out death to the luckless ants that 
happen to pass his way. 

The ant-hills in Australia are sometimes very large. The writer 
has seen them five feet high and fully ten feet in diameter at the base, 
but generally they are smaller. 

While watching the busy inhabitants of an ant-hill at work, we 
noticed one apparently fastened to the ground and struggling to free 
itself. An attempt to move the struggling ant revealed the fact that 
one of its legs was drawn down a tiny hole and that something was 
hanging very tenaciously to it. The captured ant soon became ex¬ 
hausted and died. It was then left on the ground near the hole with 
others that had perished in the same way. 

There were a considerable number of these little holes in different 
parts of the ant-hill, and round the top of each was a little white ring. 
Watching to see what would happen next, we noticed that whenever 
an ant in moving about over the hill happened to run over one of these 
holes, up would pop a minute pair of nippers at lightning speed, striv¬ 
ing to gain a hold on the ant, and usually succeeding in closing round 
a leg in vise like grip and dragging it down until the body prevented 
its going any farther. In about five minutes from the time it was 
caught, the ant was dead, its life-blood apparently having been sucked 
out of it. Sometimes another ant will come along to help his mate 
that is in trouble; hut it is of no avail, for just as sure as; those nippers 
close around the leg of the ant, just so sure it is that he will not get 
away alive. 

A peculiar fact about this little grub is that so long as he remains 
in his hole he is safe, hut just as soon as the earth is removed and he 
is exposed, he is perfectly helpless. The ants seem to realize this; for 
they will tackle him at once, and it sometimes happens that two ants 
in struggling for him will tear him in pieces. 

Another interesting little insect that plays its part in this direction 
is a species of ground-spider. The length of its body is only one-third 
of an inch. It hollows out in the fine, soft earth a conical-shaped hole, 
about one inch in diameter at the top, and tapering down a depth of 
about an inch or a little more. The side walls, therefore, are very steep. 
At the bottom of this hole the spider settles, and buries himself just 
sufficiently to be hidden from view. There he waits. 

Presently a tiny black ant comes along, and, not being aware of the 


GOD IS GOOD 


9 


trap, makes to go down the steep incline and climb up the other side. 
But this short cut proves fatal. No sooner does he lodge on the finely 
powdered wall of the hole than he discovers he has no foot-hold, and he 
tumbles to the bottom. The spider does not show himself, but by a 
series of kicks and the consequent flying up of the dirt he works the 
ant under the soil, where he has him at his mercy. The spider is not 
always successful in catching his prey immediately; for the ant, real¬ 
izing he is in danger, strives frantically to escape. But no sooner does 
he try to climb the wall than down he comes again; forvthe soil is so 
fine and light that it rolls. dow!n with his weight. He soon becomes ex¬ 
hausted, and then the spider’s task is an easy one. 

The traps are laid close to the tracks of these little ants, and many 
a one tumbles in before it realizes there is a hole, for the brink is so 
unstable that with the mere weight of the ant’s body it immediately 
gives way. Can any of my young readers see the lesson there is in this 
story of the ants for us? —J. M. Philpott. 


ANTS HAVE COMBS 

N O creature is more tidy than an ant, who can not tolerate the pres¬ 
ence of dirt on her body. These little creatures actually use a 
number of real toilet articles in keeping themselves clean. No less an 
authority than Dr. McCook says their toilet articles consist of coarse 
and fine toothed combs, hair-brushes, sponges, and even washes and 
soap. Their saliva is their liquid soap, and their soft tongues are their 
sponges. Their combs, however, are the genuine article and differ 
from ours mainly in that they are fastened to their legs. The ants have 
no| set time for their toilet operations, but stop and clean up whenever 
they get soiled. Nicholas. 


GOD IS GOOD 

There is music in the air, 

Joy-notes sounding everywhere; 
Robed in summer’s beauteous dress, 
Perfect in her loveliness, 

With a true and tender tone 
Blending countless notes in one, 




10 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


Sweet and swiftly understood, 

Earth is singing, “God is good.” 

Hear the bee’s incessant hum 
From the heathery moorlands come; 
West winds kiss the waving grass, 
Sighing softly as they pass; 

Light and low, their gentle breeze 
Whispers through leaf-laden trees; 
While above, in blithest mood, 

Birdies warble, “God is good.” 

How the sunbeams gleam and glow, 
Where fast-ripening fruit-trees grow! 
In the meadows reapers gay 
Cut and toss the fragrant hay; 
Harvest-days will soon be here; 

Corn is waving far and near, 

Grown to give us strengthening food, 
Proving still that “God is good.” 

Nature’s sweetest summer strain, 
Many voices, one refrain. 

Let us too in grateful song 
Join this chorus, sweet and strong; 
While the birds and trees and flowers 
Fill with praise the golden hours, 
Children, don’t you think we should 
Echo with them, “God is good”? 

— Selected. 


A DILIGENT WORKER 

VTOU know what it means to be at the head of your class, do you not? 
* I want to tell you of a diligent little worker that stands at the head 
of his class. He belongs to the insect class. His name is Bee. He ex¬ 
cels all other insects in building and social abilities, in organization, 
and in intelligence. There are about five thousand kinds of bees, the 
most important of which is the honey-bee. In southern Asia there 
are many wild species. Some build comb about the size of a man’s 



A DILIGENT WORKER 


11 


hand, in the open air, attached tq a branch. The swarm stays on the 
outside of the comb, making it appear black. In America we know 
the bee mostly as a tamed insect, producing food for man, and it' is of 
this that I wish to tell you most. 

It was early summer, and a new family of bees with the queen, 
their mother, had recently come to an old empty hive in the garden. 
They immediately set to work, some to clearing the dirt-particles 
from the hive, and some; to laying the foundation for their new 
home. 

Were we able to watch such an operation, we should find it very 
interesting. A number of the bees hang themselves from the top of 
the hive. The first ones cling to the roof with their forelegs, and the 
others hang with their forelegs hooked to the hind legs of the bees 
above them. In this way, for a day and a half, they hang like a thick 
black curtain. 

Rut before bees leave their first home, they eat their fill of honey, 
and, while hanging, they change this honey into a wax. Just how* bees 
do this, no one knows* but the wax appears in little scales between the 
horny rings of their bodies. These the bee moistens and kneads with 
its tongue and pincers until a gluey substance is formed. 

Then a bee from* the center of the cluster crawls to the top of the 
hive and deposits and fastens his little budget of wax. This is the 
foundation-stone of the new home. Other bees do likewise, until a 
sufficient foundation for the new comb has been completed. 

Now comes an architect. He examines the foundation carefully 
and with his antennae pats it down here and there. When all is ad¬ 
justed to suit him, he bores a hole in the center. This is the beginning 
of the first cell. The cells are six-sided little rooms and so marvel¬ 
ously made that no man lias been able to equal them. So diligently do 
these little creatures work that it does not take long for them to con¬ 
struct a comb of considerable size. Then real housekeeping begins. 

The queen-mother, who has been restless during this time, sets 
about her work of egg-laying. It is said she lays as many as three 
thousand eggs a day." As she goes from one cell to another depositing 
the tiny bluish-white eggs, she is attended by ten or fifteen maids of 
honor. They caress her with their antennae, and, when she will take it, 
they feed her upon choice honey and bee-bread. . 

The bee family shows much love to their queen-mother. If famine 


12 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


overtakes the hive, she is fed with the best food remaining. If a num¬ 
ber of the bees are sent away with the queen in a tiny hive, they feed 
her as long as a scrap of food remains, and die themselves rather than 
take food from, her. 

Summer work in a beehive is very heavy. As the queen-mother 
lays a large number of eggs, many baby bees have to be fed, the hive 
kept clean and cool, new comb made, and honey stored for winter’2 
use. Perhaps you would like to know more particulars about how bees 
do this. 

From the eggs laid by the queen, three kinds of bees are to be 
hatched—workers, drones, and queens—and the wise mother seems 
to know the proper cell for each egg. The drones ’ cells are larger 
than the workers ’ cells, and the queens ’ cells are very unlike the others. 
They are usually built at the edge of the comb, and, when empty, re¬ 
semble acorn cups in appearance. 

The tiny bluish-white egg hatches in about three days, but the 
hatch, or larva, does not look, at all like a bee. It is a little worm-like 
creature, having no feet, and coiledi up like a ring at the bottom of the 
cell. Gentle nurses supply it with food—pollen, honey, Water, and milk 
from' a gland in their head, for five or six days. With this good care 
the tiny worm grows fat and strong and soon fills its little cell-house. 

But one day it refuses food. What can be the trouble? Is it ill? 
No; this is a sign to the nurse to cover its cell-house with a wax roof. 
When thus , shut in, the fat worm-like creature spins for itself a silken 
cradle. In four or five days it changes its form. It is no more a worm, 
or larva; it has legs and wings. In six more days it gnaws its way out. 
Workers clean out its cell, and nurses flock to help it. They caress it 
with their antennae, and feed it; but it does not usually try its wings for 
about a week. At the end of that time it is sent to gather pollen or to 
help clean and keep the hive cool. 

The larvae in the queen-cells are fed with an especially rich food, 
known as “royal jelly.” This causes them to develop into perfect 
queens, much larger than the worker-bees. 

In the summer, keeping the inside of the hive cool is- very impor¬ 
tant. If it grows too warm the little waxen Walls become soft and 
bend. To avoid this calamity, a number of bees called fanners take 
turns standing at their posts' of duty and moving their little wings 
very rapidly. 


A DILIGENT WORKER 


13 


As autumn approaches, the queen lays fewer eggs, and by the 
end of September she has practically ceased. The hive has many 
more bees in it than when we saw it at the beginning of summer. As 
winter comes on, the bees become less and less] active and finally enter 
into a kind of stupor, remaining thus until spring. 

Winter past, let us visit our hive of bees again. The diligent little 
workers have shaken off their stupidity. The queen has started again 
to laying eggs. Many bees are flocking to the willows, violets, ane¬ 
mones, and other wild flowers, gathering honey. The drones, the 
idlers of the hive, help themselves to the best there is, and for pleasant 
slumbers select the coziest corner. They disport themselves on the 
comb, apparently content with their idle existence. 

As more baby bees are hatched, the hive becomes crowded. As 
time goes on, a new queen hatches and the old queen becomes restless. 
Her actions cause great trembling amjong the workers. She seems to 
be a jealous creature. She has heard the* piping of the baby queen and 
this fills her with murderous intentions. She goes forth to kill the 
baby queen. The wjorkers guard their baby queen, and if necessary 
heap wax] on the top of her cell to protect her. 

The old queen, in some way, makes known her feelings through¬ 
out the hive. General work is neglected and fewer bees are seen to 
leave and return from the hive. The occupants of the hive are about 
ready for a swarming. This takes place usually on a fine day. It is 
said a cloud passing over the sun may check the swarm. 

But at last the old queen, with about two thirds of the bees follow¬ 
ing her, rushes forth ready to start a new community. Soon a new 
queen emerges from her cell and is welcomed by the workers left in the 
old hive. The nurses caress her and brush and clean her body. In a 
few days she takes her wedding flight. This is the only time she leaves 
the hive, except when she| leads a swarm. 

The drones are her suitors, and there are many of them. But 
only the strongest can be the fortunate one. The queen has great power 
of flight, and as she soars higher and higher, the pursuing suitors be¬ 
come fewer and fewer until at last one only is left. With one embrace 
and a maddened whirl the marriage ceremony is completed. But al¬ 
most at that instant the groom drops dead, and the widowed queen 
returns to the hive to devote her time to her household duties—that of 
laying eggs. 


14 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


When the swarming season is over, the remaining workers begin 
a ruthless massacre and kill off the greater part of the worthless 
suitors, lest they consume too much of the stored-up honey. 


—Eskell L. Blore. 


A POUND OF HONEY 


W EEN you eat a spoonful of| honey, you have very little idea how 
much work and travel w;ere necessary to produce it. To make a 
pound of clover honey, bees must take the nectar from sixty-two thou¬ 
sand clover blossoms; and to do this requires 2,750,000 visits to the 
blossoms. 

In other words, in order to collect enough nectar to make one 
pound of honey, a bee must go from hive to flower and back again 2,- 
750,000 times. Then when you think how far these bees sometimes 
fly in search of these clover fields, often one or, two miles distant from 
the hive, you will begin to get a small idea of the number of miles one 
of the industrious little creatures must travel in order that you may 
have a pound of honey. —Selected. 


VERY INTERESTING TROPICAL INSECTS 


ET me tell you of just a few! of our tropical insects that to me seem 



' very curious and exceptionally interesting. 

I have before me a butterfly that is known as the blue morpho, 
and his family easily surpasses any other among butterflies as the 
most gorgeous in the world. This one is iridescent, changing its colors 
with every movement of its wings. First I see a deep blue of richest 
tone, then shading into a lighter hue; it finally looks almost black. 
Then I turn it away from the sun, and I get a very delicate greenish 
tinge that is truly wonderful. The spots on the wings are of a rich 
golden( brown, and yet they too change with the altered light. Truly, 
Mother Nature could not have made a more beautiful butterfly than 
this one. 

There are many different members of the morpho family. I wish 
that I could afford to own them all, but, unfortunately, I can not. How¬ 
ever, let us look at a few more interesting creatures of the tropics. 

Would you prefer to seek after beauty, like that of the emperor 




VERY INTERESTING TROPICAL INSECTS 


15 


butterfly or the peacock butterfly? The first named is truly clothed in 
regal robes, while the second rivals the peacock in arrangement and 
beauty of plumage. Or, w“ould you like to see some curious creatures 
that hold our interest because of their odd traits and characteristics? 
All right, let us seek the latter. 

First, I am going to introduce you to our neighbor (I do not say 
“friend,” for this creature is quite suspicious and equally as pugna¬ 
cious), the bombardier. Brother Bombardier is a highly colored beetle 
with metallic-green and pitch-black markings. It is because of his 
color that he is quite conspicuous, and yet why should he stew and fret 
about being discovered! He can ably defend himself without anybody’s 
assistance. How? Very much as the cuttlefish eludes enemies in the 
depths of the sea. He shoots a fluid that confuses his pursuer, and, 
while the latter is gathering his wits together, Brother* Bombardier 
escapes. This is what gives this beetle his name of “bombardier.” 
And not only does the fluid go into the enemy’s face, but as soon as it 
comes into contact with the air it volatilizes, exploding with a minia¬ 
ture report that in itself would startle whatever might be after the 
beetle. Another curious fact about this beetle is that, while it is fast 
of flight, it seldom leaves the ground, depending upon its power of 
running to capture its prey or elude an enemy. 

We might call the pugilist of “beetledom” the stag-, hercules-, 
rhinocerous-, and wplf-beetles. All of these are very strong and hardy 
fighters. The wolf-beetle is perhaps one of the strongest, although 
the hercules would give him a beating if he had to do so. But the wolf 
is a cannibal, and his burrowi is littered with legs, wings, and other re¬ 
jected parts of creatures he has conquered in battle. The stag-beetle 
has toothed jaws extending beyond the head, looking very much like 
the horns of a stag. So much does another beetle resemble a quadru¬ 
ped that it is called rhinoceros-beetle. 

But one of the most curious is the carabus. This beetle is not the 
fighter that the others are, but he is wise enough to keep out of quar¬ 
rels until the proper time comes. He considers that the real favorable 
time (to him) is when a couple of beetles have locked jaws. Once hav¬ 
ing done this, none of the above mentioned will let go, and so carabus 
steps right in and begins to make a meal out of them. He knows that he 
is safe, for they can not fight except with their powerful jaws, and 
neither will let go for fear of giving his opponent undue advantage. 


16 PLANTS AND INSECTS 

So, in spite of the struggles of his victims, he eats away to his heart’s 
content, often devouring both combatants^ 

Another curious insect is the scorpion, that venomous creature 
with a: sting in his long, slender tail. This creature has been immortal¬ 
ized in astronomy as the eighth sign of the zodiac, representing one of 
the constellations. 

Curious as it may seem, the most poisonous tropical spider injects 
a poison that does not trouble the victim until after it has started to 
course through the veins. This is the casambulga. At first the bite is no 
more painful than that of a harmless spider of our country; but in 
about three minutes most excruciating pains shoot through the body 
and paralysis will follow unless antidotes are right at hand. This 
spider is one of the most beautifully mjarked of the tropical arachni- 
dans, with a black body and gorgeous red! spots. 

I might go on indefinitely and tell you something of the life and 
habits of the tarantula, centipedes, zancudos, cucuyos, blister-beetles, 
etc., but there is one little tropical creature that is perhaps the most 
curious of all. His name is “chigoe,” and he is otherwise known as 
the jigger. You might say he is a flea, and that is correct. But his 
specialty is burrowing under the big toe of a native who goes bare¬ 
footed, laying eggs there; and these, when hatched, produce an itching, 
dangerous, running sore that may result in the amputation of the leg 
up to< the knee if neglected. Girlhood Days. 


THE SONG OF THE OLD OAK-TREE 

There is music in the treetops 
As they’re swaying to and fro; 

Seems to me I hear them singing 
Of the long, long ago 
When the red men idly wandered 
O’er these rugged vales and hills 
Listening to the voice of Nature 
As she murmured in the rills, 

To her echoes in the breezes 
As they shook the stately oak; 

Or beholding her excitement 
When an angry storm-cloud broke. 



THE COTTON-PLANT 


17 


Oft, perhaps, he thought of Nature 
When the gentle breezes stirred, 
Wondering much, but questioning never, 
Why she uttered not a word. 

This the treetops seem to murmur 
In their song of ancient tone 
While I sit so far beneath them 
In the woodlands all alone. 

Here, perhaps, their old admirers— 

Men with skin of redder hue— 

Fished and hunted all the day long 
As their custom was to do; 

But today not e’en the traces 

Of their wanderings canj be seen, 
Though we know they oft have trampled 
Where the grass now grows so green. 

Listen! heard ye not that whisper? 

Came it from yon old oak-tree? 

“Pray, do tell me, white-faced stranger, 
Where those pilgrims now can be?” 

Ah, they’re resting, calmly resting 
Far beneath their native sod, 

Waiting yet to learn the meaning 
Of the voice of Nature’s God. 

—Elsie E. Egermeier. 


THE COTTON-PLANT 

D OUBTLESS many of the young folks have never seen a cotton- 
plant when it was growing. I was brought up where cotton 
grows, so I will tell you about the plant. In February or March the 
ground is plowed and marked off in rows three or foui feet apart, 
then fertilizer is put in. Next the seeds are planted by means of a 
planter, which strows the seeds along the rows. They are put in rather 
thickly in order to insure a good stand. So when the plants come up, 
they may he very close together and have to he thinned. Then the 
ground has to be'plowed and hoed to keep the weeds out. There is a 
great deal of work about growing cotton. 

At first the plant looks like a weed. Soon buds begin to form, and 



18 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


these open into beautiful blossoms. The first day the blossom is 
white, the next day it is pink, and' the next it is red; then it falls off. 
After this comes the boll in which the cotton grows. In a few weeks 
it bursts and the snowy white cotton hangs out. Each boll has four 
locks, which contain four or five seeds each. When the bolls burst, the 
cotton is ready to pick. It is picked by hand and put into sacks or 
baskets. Cotton-picking begins the last of August or the first of Sep¬ 
tember and continues until December or later. 

After the cotton is picked, it is taken to a cotton-gin, where the 
seeds are separated from the fiber. The fiber is then baled; that is, it 
is pressed together to form a large bundle. After it is ginned and 
baled, it is sent to a cotton-factory, where it is made into cloth. We 
should be thankful for the cotton-plant. —David Williams. 


BAMBOO 

' I V HIS is a grove of bamboo. Bamboo is very valuable to the Jap- 
anese people. It brings a good price and is very useful. The 
boys have put on their rain-coats and -hats and are now digging with 
their hoes among the tall bamboos. They probably are looking for 
some nice, tender sprouts for dinner. When they have found two or 
three, they will send the little boy to the house with them, and their 
mother will wash and slice the sprouts and boil them tender for din¬ 
ner. Bamboo sprouts are very sweet, and the Japanese children are 
quite fond of them. 

But it is the large stalks that the boys like best. From these they 
can make stilts, whistles, flutes, pop-guns, fishing rods, flag-poles, 
bows, arrows, swords, and all such things with which a boy likes to 
play. The girls like it because from it they can make dainty baskets, 
little cradles, vases, brooms, and all kinds of toy furniture. 

The farmer likes it; for it makes good picket fences, water-pipes, 
and rakes. Then it is suitable for so much of his house that he would be 
at a loss to know what to use if he did not have bamboo. His< wife can 
also use it for many things. It makes pretty furniture for her house, 
all kinds of baskets and vases, broom-handles, and clothes poles, to 
hang the clothes on in the sunshine. She can also find so many uses 
for it in the garden and hen-yard that she could scarcely get along 

yqthout it, 



BAMBOO 


19 


Then the merchant can use it to make yard-sticks, umbrellas, bar¬ 
rel-hoops, market baskets, and many other useful and ornamental ar¬ 
ticles. Everybody admires it because it grows so tall and has such 
delicate foliage and furnishes such pleasant shade in summer. 

There are several varieties of bamboo in Japan, but the kind in the 
picture is the most useful. The large sprouts come up in early spring 
and grow very rapidly. They attain a height of about fifteen feet be- 



A bamboo grove in Japan 

fore they have any branches on them. They are not very attractive 
until the long, willowy limbs appear, heavily loaded with long narrow, 
blade-like leaves. Then they become very beautiful. 

My) yard-fence is all made of bamboo except the posts, and all tlm 
inside walls of my house are bamboo, covered with a black mud on both 
sides. It is finished on one side by a yellow mud, resembling calci- 
mining; the other side is a brown sand-stone finish. Neither will 
stand water, and if one were to fall against the wall, he would likely 
break a hole in it. -W. G. Alexander . 







20 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


SOME NATIONAL FLOWERS 


BE rose is the emblem of the English people. On St. George’s 



* day, April 23, all those who can, wear roses to show they are proud 
of their native land. 

The shamrock is the emblem of Ireland. On March 17 the Irish 
people enjoy wearing a sprig of shamrock in memory of St. Patrick, 
the first missionary to preach the gospel in Ireland. One day when 
St. Patrick wanted to explain about the Trinity, how there could be 
one God in three persons, he used the tiny three-leafed plant to show 
them what he meant. He said, “Three leaves, but one stem; three 
persons, but one God.” So for centuries the shamrock has been the 
national emblem. 

The thistle is the emblem of Scotland. How did it become famous ? 
It is said that a long time ago Northmen undertook to make an attack 
on Stirling Castle. The invasion was made during the night, and in 
order to keep from being heard these men were stealing their way bare¬ 
foot across the moors. One of the men stepped on a thistle, and it hurt 
his foot sq badly that he forgot his stealth and cried out, “Oh!” The 
watchmen on the castle walls heard the cry of pain, and the invaders 
Were driven back. The attack failed, and the Scotch people were so 
pleased over this defeat that they chose the thistle for their national 
flower. 

Italy has the lily for its emblem; Wales, the leak; France, the 
fluer-de-lis (a flower something like the flag, or iris). 

What do you know about the national flowers or emblems of other 
countries? What is the emblem of the United States of America? 


— Opal Broolcover. 


PURPLE AND GOLD 


On kingly throne, in purple robes 
Sat Solomon of old, 


And on his lofty brow he wore 
A coronet of gold. 


A pansy from the lowly soil 
Lifts up her pensive face; 


Sweet, modest, beautiful, she wears 
These colors, too, with grace. 



SPIDERS AND THEIR WBBS 


21 


She- did not toil, she did not/ spin, 

Nor did she e’er complain; 

She simply grew and bloomed for God, 
And he sent sun and rain, 

And clothed her there in royal hues 
So beautiful and fair 

That even kingly robes of earth 
With them can not compare. 

Oh, let us learn a lesson here 
Both beautiful and sweet— 

How doth our spirit’s garment grow 
While we sit at His feet! 

We may not do the greater things 
That some are called to do, 

But we can fill our mission here 
By being pure and true. 

—Eva E. Andrews. 


SPIDERS AND THEIR WEBS 

1X7HAT human weaver ever produced a fabric equal to the web of 
* * these clever little spinners called spiders'? Did any carpenter 
ever build a home so complete, so comfortable, and so perfectly suited 
to the needs of its occupants as is the dwelling-place of the common 
spider? Did ever an engineer, after years of scientific training, con¬ 
struct a bridge, a trestle, or a skyscraper that could so successfully 
defy storm, wind, water, and the strain of constant use for which it 
was intended as does the web of the little spider? 

This little creature, with no school in which to learn his trade, 
builds his web strictly along geometric lines. He knows nothing about 
the laws of expansion and contraction from heat and cold, but he makes 
ample provision against their effects. Swaying limbs, straining winds, 
or beating rain seldom find his work incapable of resisting their force. 

The spider’s traps, when undisturbed by man, seldom fail to catch 
and hold the prey for which they are intended. 

There are various sorts of spiders in our own country, and in 



22 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


fact every country in the world has its variety of spiders. They play a 
very large part in the destruction of harmful insects the world over. 
Even in the homes of the city-dwellers they help in ridding the place of 



Common or black spider 


damaging insects which would otherwise annoy the careful housekeeper. 
The common or black spiders destroy no fabric by eating holes into it. 
They harm no plants that are raised for the benefit of man. They harm 
no fruit. And the stories we hear about their harming people by their 
bite are usually almost wholly without truth. The tarantula and the 










SPIDERS AND THEIR WEBS 


23 


malmignatte are about the only species in the United States that will 
harm any one by their bite. 

An interesting group are the orb-weavers. These make webs that 
are circular or partly circular in form, consisting of radii and circular 
spirals like the spokes and rims of a wheel. Sometimes these webs 
lie flat, but more often they hang vertically. The spiral lines are the 
elastic ones, and are usually sticky in order that they may trap and 
hold their prey. If they were not elastic, they would break when the 
insect begins to struggle for freedom. Examine a web and notice 
the difference between the support lines and these elastic spiral 
threads. 

The line-weavers build webs somewhat similar to those of the orb- 
weavers, but instead of the spiral lines theirs are simply a network of 
interlaced lines. We see these in the comers of rooms, in barns, and 
on shrubbery. Usually you will find the spider hanging from the center 
of the web. Often he will drop by means of his silken thread several 
feet below the web and there wait for his prey. The moment the web 
is touched he feels the tremble through his supporting thread and 
hastens to his dinner. Often he simply hides behind a leaf at some dis¬ 
tance from the web, but always carries his warning thread with him. 
The spider has his spinnerets on the extremity of his abdomen, and 
it is from them that he spins his web. 

The tube-weavers make a tubular or cone-shaped nest with a wide- 
spreading net over the top or spreading out from the top. These are 
often to be found in hedges and fence-rows. 

The trap-door spider is a sort of tube-weaver. He burrows be¬ 
neath the ground and spins his silken net inside of the hole. The taran¬ 
tula is of this sort also, but he does not make a trap-door. He relies 
upon his venomous bite to protect himself from invaders; while the 
trap-door spider, being harmless and timid, makes himself a trap-door 

The tube of the trap-door spider is first lined with a papery sub- 
stance similar to a hornet’s nest, then the silk comes inside this. Some¬ 
times he builds the trap with one edge thicker than the other so that it 
shuts by its own weight. But most commonly it is of an even thickness 
and hung on silken hinges that stretch when it is opened- and shut with 
a snan when he goes in or out. Sometimes this spider builds a second 
tube unSeath or to one side of the first, with a trap-door. Then 


24 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


when an enemy breaks into the first, he finds an empty nest. The spider 
has gone into the inner chamber and shut the door, which is covered 
over with silk and not easily to be detected. 

When any one attempts to open the trap-door of a nest, the spi¬ 
der grabs hold of the silken lining and braces his powerful legs in the 
meshes lining the inside of the tube. He will not let gol until his legs 
or head are pulled from, his body. 

Some of the tropical spiders are very brilliant and beautiful in 
color. Even in our own country the large yellow spiders with brown 
legs and markings are beautiful if we but lay aside the local prejudice 
and forget to be afraid of these perfectly harmless and useful crea¬ 
tures while we take time to; observe them. 

There are myriads of these creatures that we never see at all. 
Some are red, some pale green, and some gray. They are so minute 
that we pass by them unless we especially look for them. Last year 
we disturbed a web which was literally swarming with tiny yellowish 
spiders no larger than grains of corn meal. When the web fell on the 
walk it looked exactly as if some one had spilled a handful of com meal 
and the grains had taken to themselves long legs and were walking off. 

Some morning when the dew is on if you will walk out into the field 
or the garden you will see many glistening gossamier threads glittering 
among the grasses, the shrubbery, and underneath the leaves of the 
trees and plants. These are the webs of spiders and are unseen until 
they catch the dew. The larger webs called cobwebs are easy enough 
•to be seen at any time, if you but take the trouble to look about you. 


Selected. 


SPIDER-WEBS 


LL spiders are spinners. It is interesting to note some of the 



peculiar-shaped webs spun by the different species. The webs are 
always constructed with the one object in view, that of capturing food 
supplies. 

Out in some quiet secluded corner you may spy a circular web very 
finely and systematically constructed.) It is a disk of solid silken web 
with threads radiating from the center to the circumference. You will 
doubtless find Mrs. Spider seated at the center like a girl at the tele¬ 
phone. 



SPIDER-WEBS 


25 


Mrs. Spider is directing a great number of extra spun lines out 
toward the circumference of her web. This, no doubt, is to establish 
communication with all points of her territory. 

Finally, a very slight vibration passes over some line, and Mrs. 
Spider is on the alert. She gives a great tiger spring and clears her 
feet from her silken web. But the 
caller at the door seems badly 
mixed up. 

Now is Mrs. Spider’s oppor¬ 
tunity. She pounces down upon 
her visitor and gives him so vicious 
a sting that he is paralyzed. The 
sting is under Mrs. Spider’s jaw. 

Next she winds her visitor around 
securely with spun threads, and 
then she takes him to her pretty 
little parlor. Mr. Fly never comes 
forth again. 

Another species simply digs a 
hole in the earth and lines it 
throughout with a matting of the 
spun silken threads. Then they 
conceal themselves in a near-by 
wall and lie in ambush for a while. 

As a stranger insect approaches the conveniently prepared nest, the 
spider rushes upon him quickly. Thus this spider secures his break¬ 
fast, dinner, and supper. 

But the most notable is a large spider of Madagascar that weaves 
a web so strong, it is said, that a light bamboo cane can be laid across 
it without injuring it. 

The ide^| of manufacturing silk from the spider’s silken secretions 
has been discoursed upon by distinguished scientists for hundreds of 
years. But it was not until ten years ago that the spun thread of this 
large Madagascar spider came under consideration. Then the idea of 
making an experiment with it was conceived. Twenty-five thousand 
of these large spiders were secured. They were placed in small boxes 
with their spinnerets protruding. Then the fine, delicate work of reel¬ 
ing off the silken threads directly from the spiders commenced. At 



The spider 



26 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


length one hundred thousand yards of spun thread, tw'enty-four double, 
was prepared for the loom. From this amount of silken thread and 
Warp a yellowish fabric eighteen yards in length and eighteen inches 
in width was woven. It was; placed on exhibition at the Paris Exposi¬ 
tion in 1900. 

Spiders have the habit of devouring their own kind. The mother 
spider very tenderly cares for her young. She carries them about with 
her in a sac until they are old enough to care for themselves. She then 
pushes them out of the nests. Henceforth they are lawful prey for food. 
The mother spider would greedily devour her own children could she 
catch them again. 

When any two spiders meet, there is a mortal combat between them 
until one comes off victorious. Then he greedily devours his opponent. 

This carnivorous element has been the cause of the failure of all 
efforts to raise colonies of spiders for their silky secretions. 

—Sara E. Farmun. 


STORY OF THE FLY 

M OST FLIES live only in the spring and summer months. Some, 
however, find a place where they can hide and obtain warmth 
enough to keep them alive through the winter. They hide in cracks 
and crevices about the house, in out-buildings and stables, Where we 
would not think of looking for them. There they lie dormant, or 
seemingly dead—sleeping the cold winter days away. But when the 
warm days of spring come, the fly feels the warmth. It wakes him, 
and he immediately begins 1 to look about in search of food. 

How Fast Do Flies Multiply? 

As nearly all the flies die before winter begins, it seemis strange that 
the following year we have* as many flies as ever. But each female fly 
lays about 150 eggs, which require only six or eight days to become full- 
grown flies. Then, in turn, the females of these lay their eggs, and 
Within a week another generation id full-grown. So you see flies multi¬ 
ply at an exceedingly rapid rate, especially when there is an abundance 
of filth in which they may breed. The eggs of the common house-fly 
are laid in garbage-cans, barns, hog-pens, and any other place that is 
filthy and unclean. 



STOEY of the fly 


27 


In the summer time the eggs hatch into maggots after four or 
five hours, and in about three days the maggots become full grown 
and change into pupae, which are a sort of chrysalis. In the chrysalis 
is formed the body of the new fly, which emerges after a period of from 
three to five days. Many eggs are laid in the autumn, but these eggs 
do not develop and hatch during the winter, as the cold causes the 
undeveloped flies to stop growing. Some of these exist throughout 
the winter, and begin growing when the warm days of spring come. 

Do Flies Grow? 

When the winter is past and the warm weather returns, the fly 
inside the chrysalis begins to grow again. At the right moment it bursts 
open its brown, horny case, and comes out. All that it has to do then 
is to dry its wings, after which it can fly away full-grown. When we 
see small flies and large flies together, we must not get the idea that 
the small ones are young and the large ones old. They are different 
sorts of flies, 'but are full-grown. 

A Day in the Life of a Fly 

We will now picture a day in the life of a fly. Watcli his travels. 
From the garbage can he takes his rounds into all the unclean places 
in the neighborhood. After he has gotten liis legs and body covered 
with filth laden with disease-germs, he arrives at the dinner-table, and 
worst of all, he crawls upon the baby’s bottle and upon its sweet face, 
leaving his deadly disease-germs wherever he crawls, and causes baby’s 
death. The last of our picture tells the saddest story—which is true of 
thousands of babies throughout the United States each year. 

Nothing is too dirty of bad for a fly to eat, and he will carry this 
filth right into the kitchen and dining-room, and upon your eatables 
if you let him. 

Swat the Fly 

As the fly is one of the worst agents through which disease is 
spread, it is well that we do all we can to kill his kind. And the best 
way to’get rid and stay rid of flies is) through cleanliness. 

In many places school-teachers are explaining to the pupils the 
necessity of killing as many of the flies as possible, and destroying 
their breeding-places. That the fly is a pest which carries filth and 


28 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


disease is proved many times, and we can not afford to neglect our 
fight against him. 

Above all, do not let flies get upon the food you are to eat. You 
certainly will not if you realize how dirty and dangerous they are. 


PLANT INSECT-TRAPS 

W E have all noticed Mother setting tangle-foot and planning dif¬ 
ferent methods for entrapping flies or ants. Nature is engaged 
in a similar work. We shall! mention only three plants, although there 
are many others. One, known as the Venus’ fly-trap and found in the 



Venus’ fly-trap 


moister parts of North Carolina, 
traps in a wonderful way and solely 
for the purpose of sustenance. It 
has been called by Linaeus, Nature’s 
miracle. 

, The leaves do the trapping. 
They stand half open, and when an 
intruder enters they close quickly, 
thus securing a victim, upon which 
they feed. Has not nature provided 
ways at which we must wonder? 

Another leaf-trapper is the sun¬ 
dew, which grows in boggy regions. 
It has a round, somewhat reddish, 
hairy leaf, covered with a shining, 
dew-like liquid. This attracts the in¬ 
sects, and when they light on it, they 
become entangled in its gluey sub¬ 
stance. And in the struggle for free¬ 
dom the little hair-like arms on the 
leaf clasp the insects firmly, while at 
the same time the plant issues more 
liquid, and the leaf edges close up, 
engulfing the unfortunate insects. 
The nourishment this plant fails to 
obtain from the soil it receives by 
digesting this animal food. 






“ANT-COWS” 


29 


The leaves are really little stomachs, for just as juices in our stom¬ 
achs break up and dissolve our food, so does this liquid upon the leaf 
dissolve the tiny body of the insect into nutrition for the plant. 

Still another trap is the common plant known as the dogbane, which 
grows from two to three feet high, and has small pink and white bell¬ 
like flowers. It is found in Canada and the United States. This plant, 
unlike the others mentioned, does not trap in order to sustain life, but 
apparently to keep away those small insects which can render it no 
service. 

Now the butterfly and the bee are welcomed; for when they insert 
their long tongues in one of the glands and withdraw, they rub off 
pollen from the stamens, and on entering the next flower they deposit 
the precious dust upon a pistil, thus causing seed formation to begin. 
The small insects are not permitted to carry away the sweet nectar: 
after supping they find their tongues held fast by parts of the plant 
and, being unable to get away, are forced to stay and die of starvation. 
Thus, the plant allows to partake from flower to flower only those that 
can assist in its propagation. 


“ANT-COWS” 

/^\NEi morning a friend brought me a number of twigs and leaves 
'^'from various plants, together with a microscope, and invited me 
to look. And how many wonders even a small microscope reveals! 

These plant fragments had on them many tiny insects, some so 
tiny that with the naked eye I could tell scarcely anything about 
them. But the microscope showed them to be soft-bodied creatures 
of various colors, some green, some brown, some pinkish, others 
spotted or almost colorless. Some had wings, others were wingless. 
Some had antennae almost as long as their bodies and joined in 
various wavs. Some had tubercles on their sides, others had none. 
Some had beautifully colored eyes. And on most of them, near the 
tail on each side of the body was a short tube. These are called 
honey-tubes; for out of them is excreted large amounts of a clear 
sticky substance commonly known as honeydew. It often falls upon 
and varnishes the leaves and stems of plants, or when the wind is 
blowing it may fall to the ground as a spray. 

As a rule, wherever there are ants running up and down twigs, there 



30 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


is honeydew, for they like to feed upon this sweet fluid. Ants like also 
to attend the little creatures' that produce this fluid, and for this reason 
the aphids are sometimes called ‘ ‘ ant-cows. ’’ The milking of the cows 
is readily observed. An ant will gently stroke one with her feelers, 
and the little cow in response emits tiny droplets of honeydew from 
its tubes, which the ant eagerly licks up. Some species of ants think 
so much of their cows that they preserve the eggs of the little creatures 
in their nest over winter and carry the newly hatched aphids to their 
food-plants in the spring. 

These little cows are members of a large, family called Aphididae, 
or plant-lice. They live on the leaves, bark, or roots of plants, or 
inclosed in galls. The largest of them is only about one fourth of an 
inch long, and yet some of them lay eggs that can be seen with the 
unaided eye. 

An interesting study is to gather in the month of October cherry- 
twigs on which these little aphids are found. Freshen the twigs by 
keeping them in water, and soon the aphids will gather about the buds 
ready to lay their eggs. These they usually deposit in the angle between 
the bud and the twig. At first the eggs are yellowish-green bodies, 
oval in shape, but later turn to shining black. In the spring these 
eggs hatch into tiny black wingless females.. In about two weeks these 
give birth to living young that in a few days begin producing young 
also. Then comes a generation with wings. These leave the cherry- 
trees for other plants. In the fall winged females return to the cherry- 
trees, lay their eggs, and the year’s cycle is completed. This story is 
the life story of most of the common species of aphids. 

Many of these aphids cause the plant leaves to curl; others form 
galls on the leaves or stems. Besides this, they suck nourishment from 
the plants, and injure them with the honeydew, for this forms good 
“ground” in which various mildews and molds can, live. 

One way of ridding the plants of these pests is to spray them 
with various emulsions. Then, there are natural enemies to be en¬ 
couraged. These are the lady-beetles, dressed in their orange-yellow, 
black, and red. But one of the most interesting of the enemies for 
children to study is the little parasite Aphidius. Late in July up until 
October if you examine colonies of plant-lice you will find some of a 
lighter color than the rest and much swollen. Put a number of these 
in a glass, covered with a' gauze, and in a few days you will find neat 


THE HAWK-MOTHS 


31 


little trap-doors cut in the backs of the plant-lice, and; minute parasites 
will be flying about in the glass. —Bskell L. Blore. 


THE HAWK-MOTHS 

C V N ® spring day while looking at some pupae I had keep in a box all 

wintei I noticed that one seemed to have more life than the others. 
A mere touch of the finger would cause it to wriggle and squirm from 
side to side. It was also 1 different in appearance from the rest. It was 
longer, more slender, and had a more distinctly shaped head than the 
others. I was anxious to see the adult emerge, so I determined to watch 
the pupae closely. 

Rather late in the afternoon I noticed that the pupa-case was split 
near the head on the under side, and I expected the adult to 1 emerge 
before morning. But there was; apparently little change until the mid¬ 
dle of the afternoon next day, when, rather suddenly, at a moment when 
I happened not, to be near, the moth came out and perched itself, head 
upward, upon a paper. 

When I first discovered it, I was astonished at its peculiar appear¬ 
ance. Its downy body was about two inches long, but the larger two* of 
its four wings were not more than one half inch long. Its large head 
and eyes and the long proboscis curled up in front of the head gave it 
a rather fierce appearance. 

I was much disappointed at seeing the size of its wings; for I had 
hoped it would be a large, beautiful moth. I placed it in a box and left 
it for one and one half hours. When I returned to look at it, to my sur¬ 
prize its wings, wfhen spread, now measured about three and one half 
inches from tip to tip. They were long, narrow, and pointed, revealing 
that the insect was a hawk-moth, or a humming-bird moth, as they are 
sometimes called. These moths may be seen in the dusk of the evening 
flying about the flower-beds and, by means of the long proboscis, suck¬ 
ing the nectar from the flowers while on the wing, as humming-birds 
do. When flying they make a sound similar to that made by humming¬ 
birds. 

There are many species of hawk-moths, but their larvae are usually 
large green caterpillars. One of the most common is the so-called 
tomato-worm, which feeds on both tomatoes and potatoes. It is a large 
green “worm” marked with oblique white stripes upon the sides of its 



32 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


body and having 1 a horn upon the tail. When it has reached its full 
growth, it crawls down the plant and buries itself in the ground, where 
it forms a pupa and remains all winter. 

The pupa is very peculiar in appearance, owing to a long, slender 
tongue-case, so bent as to bring the tip against the breast, of the pupa, 
looking much like a pitcher-handle. 

In the early summer the moth emerges from the ground, mounts 

some plant, and, when evening comes, flies away. 

— N . Grace Graham. 


THE CODLING-MOTH AND PLUM-CURCULIO 

T HE bov or girl who has never had the experience of biting into a 
wormy apple or cherry can be said to have never eaten very many. 
And these “worms,” at which you have scolded, are not worms in the 
strict sense of the word, but are the larvae of two insects—in the apple, 
the larvae of the codling-moth; in the cherry, of the plum-curculio, more 
commonly called the snout-beetle. The plum-curculio sometimes at¬ 
tacks apples too. 

The codling-moth appears about the time the apple-trees' are drop¬ 
ping their bloom. It is not often seen, for it flies at night, and in the 
daytime rests on the bark of trees, which it resembles much in color. 
And, too, it is small, its wing measurement from tip to tip being only 
about three fourths of an inch. 

When examining the wings closely, ‘ ‘ one finds that they are crossed 
by many gray and brown scales and that near the hind angle of each 
front wing there is a large dark-brown spot streaked with gold. The 
hind wings are light-grayish in color, somewhat darker toward the 
margin. ’ ’ 

This moth lays her eggs singly, usually on the leaves near the fruit. 
At first, they are tiny white specks, not larger than pin-lieads; then they 
become transparent and gradually turn to a brownish color, finally 
reaching a black, as the young caterpillars develop within. 

In five to ten days they hatch, and the larvae begin feeding upon 
the. young leaves, gradually making their way toward the fruit. A 
large majority of them enter the fruit at the blossom-end, but a few 
enter at the sides where the apples have touched each other or have 
been rubbed by a leaf. 



THE CODLING-MOTH AND PLUM-CURCULIO 


33 


Upon entering the apples the larvae soon eat their way through 
to the seeds, a favorite place to them. And when you find them, they 
are about one half inch long, white in color, with black heads and eight 
pair of legs. 

Towards fall these larvae snugly ensconce themselves in tiny silken 
cocoons for the winter. Any time from October to May you can find 
them by scraping bark-scales! from the apple-trees. Look, too, for the 
scales that have been pecked into by the woodpeckers, for underneath 
you are sure to find an empty cocoon. If you find many that are not 
empty, that means you have not woodpeckers enough to destroy them. 

Knowing how these larvae damage the apple crops, and how useful 
birds are in destroying the pest, I am sure no* boy or girl will think of 
molesting Downy as, he hies over the trunks of the apple-trees. 

The plum-curculio appears about the time the leaf-buds are open¬ 
ing in the spring. Its body is short and thick, about one fourth inch 
long, and of a brownish color marked with gray and black. It may be 
•easily recognized by the elongated hump of what appears to be black 
sealing-wax on each wing cover. It feeds upon the leaves until the fruit 
is set. Then, with its long proboscis, or snout, it makes a small hole 
in the fruit and deposits a tiny, oval-shaped, white egg. Then, through 
wisdom bestowed by the Creator, it cuts a crescent-shaped segment in 
the flesh of the fruit, around the egg. This makes a dead spot and pre¬ 
vents the crushing of the egg, as the fruit at this point will not grow. 

In three to five days the egg hatches, and the larva, as you usually 
find it, is a footless white grub lying in a curved position. In this con¬ 
dition it stays from twelve to eighteen days; then it leaves the fruit and 
enters the ground, where it forms a cell a few inches beneath the sur¬ 
face. In this it changes to a delicate white pupa' about one fourth inch 
long and remains thus for about thirty days, when it comes to the sur¬ 
face an adult curculio. In this stage it' passes the winter under leaves, 
grass and trash of all descriptions in and near the orchard, ready for 
spring depredations. 

This little creature is indeed very destructive and equally hard to 
combat. It has a habit of “playing possum” when disturbed, and until 
recent years jarring the trees and collecting the insects on sheets spread 
beneath was the principal way of destroying it. Burning all trash, cul¬ 
tivating the ground, spraying with arsenicals, promptly gathering all 
infested fruit as soon as it falls to the ground, and allowing chickens to 


34 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


run in orchards, are all effective ways of aiding in the destruction of 
the curculio. —Eshell L. Blore . 


SOME CURIOUS FELLOWS TO MEET 

H OW should you like to meet a larva of a tiger-swallowtail butterfly? 

Apparently he has a very watchful countenance, with great, 
big eyes and a mouth that is ready for anything; but just wait until 
he moves and starts to eat, and you will see that it is not his face at all! 
No, this is one of the cases where Mother Nature fools you by giving a 
weak creature a goodlooking defense! The back markings of the tiger- 
swallowtail caterpillar are very prominent, especially when ready to 
go into the chrysalis, and you can scarcely find a more ugly chap' than 
he is at that time. He wiggles and twists at the least suspicion of 
danger, and those “eyes” glare at you furiously. But, as a matter of 
fact, he is not ugly at all; he is simply uneasy, for he is about to molt 
for the final time before going into the chrysalis, and after that he will 
come out a flying creature. His real head is safely hidden from view 
most of the time, except when he is walking about and eating. If you 
place a ruler below the white line that looks so much like a mouth, he 
will remind you of an Indian totem of ancient times. 

All caterpillars are very interesting, if you can stand “crawly” 
things; but there is, perhaps, none better known than the offspring 
of the black swallowtail butterfly. Your great-grandmother used to call 
him the caraway caterpillar, because he has a scent like that of strong 
caraway, and the people of her day used to think this was because he 
ate so many leaves of the caraway plant, and so became steeped in it. 
Today we know that this little chap has a pair of scent organs that 
look like large orange horns, just back of his head, and when he is 
disturbed he thrusts them out and waves them in the air, scenting the 
atmosphere very thoroughly indeed. 

Another good caterpillar to watch is the baby of the sphinx-moth. 
There are several of these moths, and, of course, the' same number of 
species of caterpillars. You have heard of the Sphinx in Egypt, have 
you not? It is a great stone image that sits,and looks straight ahead. 
Well, this caterpillar does a similar act when he is in danger. He 
raises his head and about a third of his body, keeps perfectly still, and 
stays that way until danger has passed. In that way he escapes at- 



SOME CURIOUS FELLOWS TO MEET 


35 


tention; for birds are careless and do not notice that he is not a part of 
the branch on which he is resting. 

Did yon ever see a white moth with humped neck and a pair of 
long, hornlike feelers? This moth is also conspicuous because of her 
very long, square-ended wings. Well, she has little children that are 
called yellow-bear caterpillars, and they certainly do look like just what 
we call them! When disturbed, they drop to the ground and curl up in 
a little ball, just as a bear cub does when frightened. When fully 
grown they are about an inch and a half in length and are very evenly 
colored. I think that they make the most uneven and irregular cocoons 
of any caterpillars I have ever seen. 

The smallest of the giant silkworm family is known as the bull's- 
eye or Io moth. Its caterpillar is one of the most common over the 
greater portion of this country. It is one of the most interesting of 
all “crawlers,” because of the many curious little things that it does. Un¬ 
like most caterpillars, these fellows march from place to place in a 
solemn procession, and at a little distance a string of them looks just 
like some extremely long, hairy worm creeping on the bark or fence- 
rail. Another curious thing they do is to first lunch from their egg- 
cases soon after they are born. Then they attack the leaves near by. 
When at rest, these caterpillars, curl up, tuck their heads and tails 
under their bodies, and present only their backs covered with hairy 
spines for the world at large to see. When two lines of Io caterpillars 
meet, the leaders lock heads, rub each other for a few seconds, until 
one gets a seeming advantage, and then the line whose leader won at 
i ‘rubbing noses" passes straight ahead, while the other line gracefully 
moves to one side. A prick from the spines of an Io caterpillar is 
slightly poisonous and very irritating indeed. This is the defense the 
creature has, and a very good one it is, for no attacker cares for a 
second injection of spine-poison. 

Have you ever seen the young pugilist of caterpillardom? When 
he is aroused he sits right up and “takes notice," assuming a pugilistic 
attitude that must seem terrifying to the small creatures that meet him. 
This is the caterpillar of the polyphemus-moth, and he does this queer 
stunt by drawing back his brown head so far that the segments of the 
body just back of the head, form a large hood that makes the cater¬ 
pillar look as if he had an exceptionally large head and mouth ready 
for anything that might come his way. 


36 


PLANTS ANTD INSECTS 


Another pugilist is the caterpillar of the pandorus sphinx-moth. 
He has an attitude that is more that of a saucy little boy with his hands 
up, ready to strike if he has to do so. He not only draws back his head 
and raises his body, hut his ‘ ‘ feet ’ ’ look like doubled-up fists ready for 
action. He is not as dignified a pugilist as young Mr. Polyphemus! 
Because of his swollen shape, this fellow is known as the hog-caterpillar. 

—Selected. 


SPRINGTIME IN THE WOODS 

. It is springtime in the woods, 

The unkept woods. 

Though the trees still naked stand— 
Stripped of all their beauty grand— 
As they did through winter’s blast 
Which so recently has passed, 

Still ’tis springtime in the woods. 

See! already swell the buds 
On the trees, and bushes too; 

Soon the blossoms will peep through. 
Snow and ice have disappeared; 
Brooks and rivulets have cleared 
Rubbish from beneath the trees, 
Aided by the roguish breeze. 

Soon the unkept woods will be 
Nature’s fairest spot to see. 

It is springtime in the woods, 

The naked woods. 

Down, down in the ground so deep, 
Where the grass and flowers sleep 
Through the long, cold winter days, 
Have been felt the first warm rays 
Of spring sunshine, bright and fair, 
Rousing every sleeper there. 

Blades of grass begin to grow, 

Soon above the ground they’ll show; 
Flowers, too, lift up their heads 
From their cozy winter beds; 

Buds and blossoms soon will be 



USEFUL AND BEAUTIFUL INSECTS 


37 


Bursting forth on every tree. 
Then the naked woods will stand 
Beautified by Nature’s hand. 

It is springtime in the woods, 

The silent woods. 

Listen to the robin’s note! 

Hear him clear his husky throat! 
Soon his happy mate will come 
From her far-off southern home. 
All her friends and kinsfolk too 
Will return with much ado; 

Then the silent woods will be 
Filled again with melody. 


USEFUL AND BEAUTIFUL INSECTS 

HPO MANY people, insects on plants and trees are creatures to be 
A avoided and destroyed when possible. But some are really bene¬ 
ficial and make war on the harmful ones.' 

The little ladybird, or more properly, the lady-beetle, has always 
been a favorite with children. These beetles are often of a brilliant 
red or yellow color, spotted with black, red, white, or yellow. They 
spend the winter in colonies under leaves or in nooks in the tree-trunks, 
etc. One cold autumn day I chanced to pick up a heavy strip of bark. 
Beneath it were perhaps fifty of these small beetles, sheltered from the 
cold. They looked cozy indeed, and of course I quickly replaced their 
shelter. 

In summer time they are a foe to the plant-lice that infest fruit- 
trees. Even the undeveloped beetles, or larvae, are placed right where 
they can help with the good work. 

Among the orange- and lemon-trees these beetles are said to be a 
help in ridding them of their enemies. In fact, in 1886, when an Aus¬ 
tralian lady-bird was introduced into California, it destroyed in one 
year a certain pest. 1 

A very brilliant and showy insect is the lion-beetle. Its body and 
horny wing-covers are bright iridescent green, blue, gold, and copper. 
It hunts over trees in search of caterpillars and is said to listen some¬ 
times at the tip of a corn-ear to find whether there is a worm within. 



38 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


Its jaws, or mandibles, are strong, and its prey is entirely helpless 
when discovered. 

Another useful insect, though belonging to another order, is the 
dragon-fiy. It is easily recognized by its four large gauzy wings, very 
large eyes, and slender body. It is most commonly found about ponds 
and streams on warm summer days. It is sometimes called the swal¬ 
low of the insect world; for it destroys gnats, flies, and mosquitoes. 
The larvae also rid the water in which they live of many small insects. 
The eye of the full-grown dragon-fly is a study in itself, being com¬ 
posed of twenty-eight thousand lenses. Small wonder if nothing escapes 
its vision, and we can never seem to approach it for a closer view. 

These are but instances of the wonders of the insect world, to 
which many learned men have given a life-time of study. 


—An Observer. 


A DELICIOUS FRUIT 


HE fruit I wish to tell you! about is grown on plantations in south- 



A era climes—Florida, West Indies, Hawaii. It grows not on a 
bush or tree, but on a stalk not unlike a cabbage—one fruit to a plant. 
It is brownish-red in color, and sits in the midst of long, green, cactus¬ 
like leaves, tipped with crimson. Ordinarily it grows to about, ten 
inches in length and five inches thick, but oftentimes specimens are 
found that wteigh about, fifteen pounds. Look at the picture and see 
if you can tell wjhat this fruit is. If you have-never seen it growing, 
perhaps I shall have tol tell you. It is pineapple. 

Pineapples as we receive them are a cultivated fruit. They are 
usually grown in open fields but sometimes under sheds. These sheds 
are usually a light framework about eight feet high, to which laths 
spaced about two or three inches apart are nailed, thus covering half 
the space of the field. Because of the expense incurred in erecting 
sheds, they arei not used except for the finest varieties of pineapples. 
The sheds protect the plants from- heavy or cold winds, frost, the ex¬ 
treme heat of the summer, and help to preserve the moisture. 

Pineapples are rarely grown from seeds. They are propagated by 
setting out the crown, the little tuft of leaves we see at the top of the 
fruit; by slips, little buds or sprouts looking much like a small pine- 



A DELICIOUS FRUIT 


39 


apple-plant and growing at the base of the fruit; by suckers, young 
plants growing from 1 the mother-plant at or near the place where the 
mother-plant emerges from the ground; and by rattoons, which grow 
from the roots. Sucker-setting is most common, for plants raised from 
suckers will mature and produce fruit in fourteen or eighteen months, 
while the other methods take a year longer. Large suckers are always 
preferred, because they start off vigorously and are less likely to be- 



A field of pineapples 


come sanded; that is, sand is less likely to find lodgment in their bud 
and retard their growth. 

The soil must he porous, moist yet well drained, and well prepared. 
If a sandy soil, it must be heavily fertilized, cotton-seed meal being one 
of the best fertilizers. In many places the fields are laid out in beds 
ten feet wide with paths five feet wide on either side. These paths 
serve as shallow drainage-ditches and as a standing-place for the work¬ 
men while cultivating. As the roots of pineapples grow so near the 
surface of the ground, the plants are cultivated with hoes only, and 
this must be done carefully lest the leaves be broken. 

The plants are set in rows about three feet apart and eighteen to 





40 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


thirty-six inches apart in the row. The plants are set from one and one 
half to four inches deep, according to their size. They must be ferti¬ 
lized frequently, and great care must be taken not to let any of the 
fertilizer fall into the bud or on the leaves lest they be burned. 

The fruit is picked green, about one week before it is mature, and 
it ripens on the way to market. On account of the spear-like points 
and sword-like edges of the long leaves, pickers need to be careful lest 
they pay for their carelessness with badly cut arms and hands. 

Usually great packing-sheds are built near the center of the field. 
There the gathered fruit is carried, carefully packed and nailed up in 
crates, and made ready for shipment. Sometimes the crowns are cut 
from the apples for they take up much room, and sometimes the apples 
are wrapped in brown paper to prevent bruising in shipping. 


—Eskell L. Blore. 


WINGED BEAUTIES OF THE CLOVER-FIELD 

f NE' bright July morning while visiting in the country I took a 



butterfly-net and a cyanide-jar and started for the clover-field. 
I was eager to catch some butterflies; for I had been learning the names 
of some species, and I wished to catch some that I was acquainted with. 
I had not been out long until I saw, flying here and there, a pair of large 
yellow wings, margined and striped with black. 

‘‘A tiger-swallowtail!” I exclaimed. Then waiting until it settled, 
I slyly stole near enough to catch it in the net. What a beauty it was! 
I slipped it into the cyanide-jar, closed down the lid, and soon it was 
quietly sleeping the sleep of death. 

Later I removed it and pinned its wings to a board, and after a few 
hours it was ready to take its place in the collection I contemplated mak¬ 
ing. It was surely a fine specimen. It measured four and one half 
inches from tip to tip of wings. 

Going farther into the clover-field, I beheld a pretty sight—gorge¬ 
ously colored butterflies of many descriptions, darting here and there. 
The silver-washed fritillaries seemed to be most numerous among the 
larger varieties. At a distance the general appearance of these was a 
medium brown, but at closer range the top of the front wings showed 
up darker with heavier black markings, and the hinder wings shaded 
to a light brown with fewer markings. Underneath the wings were 



SONG OF THE GRASSHOPPER 41 

many silver-colored spots—because of which this species is sometimes 
called the silver-spot. 

I saw one or two monarchs flying about. They were nearly as large 
as the tiger-swallowtail I had caught, but the wings were different in 
shape, and the color was a reddish-brown. The border of the wings 
was black, variated with white dots, and black stripes ran inward toward 
the butterfly’s body. 

The viceroy looks much like the monarch, only it is smaller; but 
careful comparison of the two shows some difference in the pattern of 
the markings and the shades of coloring. 

Among the more beautiful of the smaller butterflies that I observed 
were the yellow clover-butterflies. Their wings were clear lemon yel¬ 
low, with black borders; on each wing of the front pair was a small black 
spot, and on each wing of the back pair was a small orange spot. There 
were numerous small butterflies, and some of them were very delicately 
marked and beautifully colored. 

As I stood and gazed upon these fairy-like creatures, I thought, 
“How artistically Nature has clothed her children! how wonderfully 
God’s power is displayed in all his creation!” 

— N. Grace Graham. 


SONG OF THE GRASSHOPPER 

I saw a brown old grasshopper, 

And he sat upon a stone, 

While ever and anon he chirped 
In a sad and mournful tone; 

And many an anxious, troubled look 
He cast around the naked plain : 

Where now was but a stubble-field 
Once waved the golden grain. 

What ails thee, old brown grasshopper? 
His voice was low and faint, 

As in the language of his race 
He made this dire complaint: 

II Oh! in the long bright summer-tima 
I treasured up no store; 

Now the last sheaf is garnered, 

And the harvest-days are o’er.” 



42 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


What didst thou, brown old grasshopper, 
When the summer days were long? 

“I danced on the fragrant clover-tops 
With many a merry song; 

Oh! we were a blithesome company 
And a joyous life we led; 

But with the flowers and summer hours 
My gay companions fled: 

Old age and poverty are come; 

The autumn wind is chill; 

It whistles through my tattered coat; 

And my voice is cracked and shrill. 

In a damp and gloomy cavern 
Beneath this cold, gray stone, 

I must lay me down and perish— 

I must perish all alone. 

Alas, that in life’s golden time 
I treasured up no store 
For now the sheaves are gathered in, 

And the harvest-days are o’er.” 

He ceased his melancholy wail, 

And a tear was in his eye 
As he slowly slid from' the cold gray stone 
And laid him down to die. 

And then I thought: ’Twere well if all 
In pleasure’s idle throng 
Had seen that old brown grasshopper 
And heard his dying song; 

For life’s bright, glowing summer 
Is hasting to its close, 

And winter ’s night is coming— 

The night of long repose. 

Oh, garner, then, in reaping-time 
A rich, unfailing store, 

Ere the summer hours are past and gone 
And the harvest-days are o’er! 


A DESTRUCTIVE INSECT 


43 


A DESTRUCTIVE INSECT 

[ OCUSTS are insects famous in story. Prom a very early date down 
^ to the present they have played a part in the world worth saying 
something about. 

To merely look at a locust in a cabinet of insects one -would not, 
at first sight, think it capable of being the source of evil to mankind as 

stands on record against it. It is but a 
small creature (some species measur¬ 
ing only a quarter of an inch in length, 
while other larger species measure as 
much as five inches), and it Would not 
seem possible for it to do mischief be¬ 
yond the proportion of its bulk. 

There have been many plagues of 
various kinds of locusts, under which 
the earth has at different times groaned. 
In Egypt, Africa, Australia, and vari¬ 
ous countries of Europe and Asia the 
air has at times been laden with such 
numbers of them as to darken the sun, 
the trees have been bent by their weight, 
and the ground covered as with a 
dark cloth, while the poor people at- 
Locusts on the wing tempted in vain, by shouting, by light¬ 

ing fires, and by waving branches, to avert the attacks. At such times 
the noise of their wings and the movement of their jaws has been com¬ 
pared to the rushing sound of a broad river. They eat every green 
thing in their line of travel, and dreadful famine follow's them. 

The female locust has a strong boring organ, and with it she drills 
a hole in the open soil and there deposits her eggs. In the spring when 
the sun warms the ground the larvae creep out, in colors greenish white 
or black. It would seem at times as if the very dust of the ground had 
awakened into life. These tiny creatures begin to move by a process of 
rolling or twisting. They are sometimes called “twisters;” 

If they chance to reach the surface when conditions are unfavorable 
for their development, they build an interesting and ingenious shelter. 
They bring up from their burrows little balls of mud and place them one 




44 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


on top of the other as a mason would lay stones. They smooth the 
inside as a plasterer would spread mortar on ai wall, close the top, and 
await a favorable signal to break forth. 

Within eight or ten days they can jump four or six inches, and 
at the age of three or four weeks a desire to “move out and explore” 
manifests itself. At this age these creatures are yet without wings, 
but at this wingless stage they are far more destructive than the full- 
grown flying locust. They march straight ahead in countless armies, and 
destroy every green blade in their line of march. If not hindered, they 
feed and feed until their wings appear, then they rise into the air and 
continue their progress by flying. 

The Arabs have a legend regarding the destructiveness of the 
locusts. “We are the army, ... we produce ninety-nine eggs; if the 
hundred were completed, we should consume the whole earth and all 
that is in it.” It is said that the female lays only nineteen eggs, but 
whether it be nineteen or ninety-nine, we are well convinced of the 
destructiveness of these creatures. 

In flying in enormous hosts, they can be seen coming through the 
air at a distance of about seven miles. They have been met in a cloud 
five hundred feet high, 1,200 miles from land. The distance they fly 
in a day depends in a great measure upon the amount of food they find. 

Locusts settling in certain districts change in one season the once 
beautiful garden country to a wilderness. —Opal F. Brookover. 

SNOUT-BEETLES AND HOW THEY INJURE NUTS 

TT OW disappointing it is, after we have broken open a smooth, sound- 
A 1 looking nut, to find that the kernel is worm-eaten and unfit for 
food! And to make it disgusting, there are, occupying the shell, robust, 
white or yellowish white grubs with red or brown heads. Where did 
they come from? And how did they get inside the shell? If the shell 
of the 1 nut had been punctured with holes, we should have expected the 
kernel to be bad, although there might be a query in our minds con¬ 
cerning the life of the creature that spoiled it. But the mystery is all 
the greater because of the apparent perfection of the shell. Let us seek 
for an explanation in a study of the lives of a certain class of insects 
known as snout-bettles. 

Nuts are attacked by many kind of insects, but by far the mosi 



SNOUT-BEETLES AND HOW THEY INJUEE NUTS 


45 


serious damage is done by the snout-beetles. There are many different 
species of these beetles that attack the common nuts of our forests, each 
species feeding on its preferred nut. It is the larvae that do the great 
damage to nuts. Some feed on the husks and inner tissues of young 
nuts, and others feed on the kernels of nuts that are ripe. Walnuts and 
hickory-nuts are frequently attacked soon after the blossoms fall from 
the trees, and the injured nuts fall to the ground! before they are half 
grown. Other varieties, including chestnuts and acorns, sustain the 
greatest injury as they approach maturity. 

The name “ snout-beetle ’ ’ is given to this group of beetles because 
of the peculiar construction of the head, the front part of which is pro¬ 
longed into a snout or proboscis. The mouth, with its tiny but strong 
pair of jaws, is located on the tip of the long slender snout. The head 
is rounded behind, and as one writer says, “fits into a cavity in the 
front of the thorax forming a union like a ball and socket joint. The 
construction of this joint permits the head to revolve for more than a 
fourth of its circumference. In piercing a nut the beetle presses the 
point of the beak against the surface and by rotating the head drills a 
tiny opening to the desired depth, sometimes even piercing the horny 
shell of mature hickory-nuts that are a tenth of an inch in thickness and 
as hard as bone. After the opening has been made ready, the beetle 
thrusts forth the long ovipositor and places an egg at the bottom of the 
gallery. Some species make only one hole in a nut, while others make 
a branched gallery and insert several eggs through the one small open, 
ing in the hull. ,, 

The egg soon hatches, and by the time the nut ripens and drops, 
the grub, in a number of species, is full-grown and ready to eat a, hole 
in the shell and emerge. Then it works its way into the ground for an 
inch or more, where it formis a small cell in which it spends the winter 
unchanged. In June, July, or August the larvae change to pupae. After 
remaining in the pupal stage for about two weeks, they transform to 
adult beetles and after a few days emerge from the ground and go to 
the trees. 

This is a very general description of the life cycle of these beetles; 
there are exceptions and variations in many species. 

The grubs that come out of chestnuts about the time they are 
gathered belong to the group known as the larger chestnut-weevils, 
which lay their eggs early in the season; those that come out long after 


46 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


the nuts have been gathered from the trees belong to a species that lays 
its eggs just about the time the burrs begin to burst. The eggs aire so 
tiny they can scarcely be seen by the naked eye and are often eaten 
unwittingly by those who go chestnutting in the fall. They do not in¬ 
jure the fresh chestnuts, which retain their sweet flavor for a while, 
and no harm comes from swallowing the eggs the nuts contain. But 
after the nuts have been stored away for a while, the eggs hatch and 



the larvae destroy the kernels. When full-grown, they eat large holes 
in the shells of the nuts and emerge. 

Nature has made a, very unique provision' among these insects for 
preserving the race through years in which there are failures in nut- 
crops. A small per cent of the grubs of each season, instead of chang¬ 
ing into adults the next year, remain for two years in their cells in the 
earth, then transform into) beetles and emerge with those that develop 
from the previous season’s generation of larvae. Thus, should there be 
no nuts one year to sustain that year’s generation of beetles, there 
would be beetles anyway the next year to perpetuate the species. In¬ 
stances have been known in which larvae remained until the third year 




THE BEAUTIFUL BOSES 


47 


before changing to the adult stage; this would carry the life of the 
species over two years ’ failure in the nut-crop. 

Snout-beetles not only do much damage to a valuable article of 
food, but greatly hinder the natural development of forests by causing 
the failure of many nuts to germinate. Much study has been given them 
by some agricultural experiment stations with a view to finding some 
method of preventing the destruction caused by them. 

—N. Grace Graham. 


THE BEAUTIFUL ROSES 

Oh, see the bright roses! 

What pleasures they bring. 

They’re the handsomest flower 
Of all the bright spring. 

Their petals are dainty, 

Their fragrance so sweet; 

Without them the springtime 
Would not be complete. 

What a bounty of blossoms 
The small bushes hold! 

Some laden with rubies, 

Some studded with gold, 

And some, like the lily, 

So pure and so white— 

All dressing the earth 
In a robe of delight. 

Our great God hath made these; 
His own loving hand 

Hath painted each petal 
In loveliness grand. 

Oh, let us be thankful 
For all he hath given. 

Since earth is so lovely, 

Oh, what must be heaven! 

—Mary J. Helphingstine. 



48 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


WILD FLOWERS OF THE MIDDLE WEST 

I N the month of March when the bitter winds have ceased and a breath 
of spring is in the air, the first wild flowers make their appearance. 
Though the mornings are yet frosty, we find a cluster of low-growing 
willows with many soft gray “pussies’’ upon it. How pretty these 
pussies are ! They are always a source of delight to* the children, who 
can not resist plucking a few sprays as they pass. After the April 
showers, when the sunshine has become warmer and the grass has 
turned a tender green, blue violets spring up in abundance. Where the 
ground is moist, the earth is almost blue with them. A very few white 
ones may be found. 

Next the buttercups gleam in the marshy ponds or small streams, 
usually just beyond the reach of one standing on the bank. The eager 
children may secure a few, but usually at the! expense of wet feet and 
muddy shoes. These flowers are very tempting as they glisten in the 
sunshine, their petals looking like varnished gold. They belong to the 
Ranunculus family and are the wild cousins of the cultivated varieties. 

Under the hedges is the wild oxalis, commonly called sheep-sorrel. 
It is also pink and white. The perfume of the sweet wild rose now 
guides us to where they bloom by the! roadside. From these have come 
the beautiful cultivated rose of the garden. Under the stimulation of 
cultivation and increased food-supply, they have become doubled. As 
the petals increased in number, the stamens disappeared until in some 
varieties they are all hidden by the many petals or have given place to 
them. By various methods of culture different colors have been produced, 
and the modern rose is found in unnumbered varieties and many colors. 

In midsummer bright-colored sweetwilliams bloom in the fence- 
corners, safe from the mower’s sickle, which slays the many white and 
yellow daisies in the meadows. In the pasture brook are blue and 
yellow iris, commonly called flags, also the tall, brown cattails, the bloom 
of the rushes. 

Too soon the flaunting banners of the goldenrod remind us of the 
approach of autumn and of the passing of all transitory things. What 
is more frail than the bloom of grass? And yet we are told a number 
of times in the Book of books that “all flesh is as grass, and all the 
glory of man as the flower of grass,” but that “the word of the Lord 
endureth forever.” —An Observer. 


THE SILK-WORM 


49 


THE SILK-WORM 

TT AWE yon ever visited a silkworm-nursery while the mulberry- 
A ^ trees were putting forth leaves? You probably found an im¬ 
mense room filled with trees and tiers of shelves. 

Perhaps one ounce of silkworm eggs have been used for the breed¬ 
ing. If so, you will find about forty-four thousand little black “worms” 
arranged upon the shelves. They are about a quarter of an inch long 
and housed in little nests of mulberry leaves. They are voracious 
eaters. Perhaps this is the reason) why they grow so rapidly. 

These are the larvae of the silkworm, and they appear to be very 
domestic in their habits. They remain very contented in their nests 
until, fully grown. This requires .about four weeks. During these four 
weeks they change their dress four times and devour one ton of mul¬ 
berry-leaves. 

When fully matured the silkworm larva is about three quarters 
of an inch long and is ready to spin. Branches 1 and twigs are now ar¬ 
ranged about their nests. Presently the larvae begin to show indica¬ 
tions of restlessness. The quiet little nests are forsaken. The mul¬ 
berry-leaves have no further attractions. The larvae have eaten suf¬ 
ficient for a long journey and a long nap. For several hours they 
travel from one branch to another, upj and down, back and forth. Evi¬ 
dently they are house-hunting. Finally they settle down one after 
another, and the city is quiet again. Now the spinning begins. 

The material for spinning is carried within their bodies, and also 
the spinning-wheel. This consists of two small glands situated at 
the lower end of the body. Each gland has a tube conductor extending 
through the entire body. These tubes terminate in small open canals 
on the lower lip of the mouth. 

Now the spinning-match has begun, and every spinning-wheel is 
set ini motion. A faint, buzzing noise is heard when you are attentive 
to the sound. A fine silvery thread issues from each canal, making a 
double strand. The threads harden as they come in contact with 
the air. 

They go on spinning, carrying the threads from head to foot until 
the body of the worm is entirely surrounded. Then they spin an in¬ 
side layer and still another until there is no longer space nor material 
for farther work. Now the buzzing ceases, and the little spinners nap. 


50 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


From the forty-four thousand larvae, about one hundred and fifty 
pounds of cocoons are produced. The cocoons are about the size of 
pigeon eggs. 

After a careful selection of the best cocoons is made for future 
breeding, the rest are put into shallow basins of warm water to kill 
the chrysalises. Then these cocoons are carefully brushed back and 
forth. This loosens and dissolves the gummy matter which holds the 
fibers together and catches the ends of the silken threads as they are 
liberated. The threads are then reeled off, four or five in a strand, 
ready for cleaning and twisting. 

Each cocoon supplies about three hundred yards of silken thread. 

The cocoons for future breeding are placed upon cloths and sub¬ 
jected to gentle heat. In about two weeks the moths appear. They 
dissolve the gummy matter of the cocoons with their saliva and push 
their way out of their prison-house. 

The silkworm moth is very shortlived. It never leaves the cloth 
upon which it first rests. It dies almost immediately after depositing 
its eggs upon the cloth. Twenty ounces of cocoons will produce one 
ounce of eggs. —Sara E. Far man. 


A HONEY-BEE 

Coming from work in, the evening, 

All worn with the toils of the day, 

Glad that our duties were finished, 

We wearily tramped on our way. 

Crossing our path then we saw her, 

And watched as she hastened along; 

Her load, I am sure it} was heavy; 

Her journey, it must have been long. 

Wee bit of life, she had labored 

Since first gleam of sunlight at morn; 

No one can tell all her struggles, 

Nor how many loads she had borne. 

Quietly, swiftly, she passed us, 

Swinging low in her homeward flight, 



THE DANDELION 


51 


But it pleased us much to meet her, 
Though but for a moment in sight. 

We could but linger to praise her— 
The good, little, hard-working bee, 
Willing, contented, and happy, 

And—gathering honey for me. 

— Anni& M. Abbey. 


THE DANDELION 

TT OW we should miss the dandelions in the spring if they should 
A A fail to make their appearance! Along the roadside, in the mead¬ 
ows, in the lawn, even between the bricks of a wall—everywhere we see 
this golden flower. How many of them there are! What a beautiful 
sight is a green meadow dotted with the yellow dandelions! 

Because the dandelion is so common, few persons admire this really 
beautiful flower. If it were rare, it would be prized. But it is far from 
rare. In our lawns it comeg, and there it is not welcome. Getting rid 
of it is not an easy matter. We may dig up the plants, root and branch, 
and in a year or two' we have the task to repeat. 

Though unnoticed, or noticed only to be scorned, yet the dande¬ 
lions bloom on beautifully. Do we, when unnoticed or when regarded 
with contempt, continue to show forth the beautiful spirit of Christ! 

Dandelion’s leaves are used asi food and are called greens. Some 
persons like the blossoms also when cooked and seasoned properly. 

We speak of the dandelion blossom as one flower, but in reality it 
consists of many flowers—perhaps two or three hundred. Each has 
one petal, one stamen, and one pistil. If we have a stamen and a pistil, 
we have a flower. Pull a blossom apart (lengthwise). Then pull off 
one of the yellow petals. You will pull with it a stamen and a pistil. 
At the bottom of the pistil you can see the seed. Notice the fine white 
hairs at the top of the pistil. 

The flower-head closes at night and opens in the morning. By and 
bv, when the seeds are ripe, the head does not open, the stamens and 
petals wither and die, the pistils become longer, thus causing the fine 
white hairs to flatten out. Now, as we look over the meadow we see the 
hollow dandelion stems crowned with white balls instead of yellow bios- 



52 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


soms. If the dandelion stem was short, it now grows longer so the 
white ball can be easily caught by the wind. 

A breeze comes across the white ball and sets the seeds sailing 
through the air like tiny balloons. Each seed has a parachute of silky 
hairs over it, which causes it to float. Down, down the seed slowly comes 
and soon is ready to wriggle to> the ground. There it germinates and 
makes a new dandelion. You will not be surprized that the dandelions 
spread rapidly when I tell you that I counted on one white ball two hun¬ 
dred and twenty seeds, and the wind had blown off some before I began 
to count. 


ABOUT MOSQUITOES 

UAVE you ever examined a mosquito under a microscope? By so 
* doing you can know the male mosquito by the feather he wears in 
his cap. It is quite pretty and stands up high and smart. It branches out 
like a twig on a tree. It is thickly covered with bristling hairs; so are 
liis long feelers. But he has no lancet about his mouth like the female 
mosquito. Perhaps this is why the male mosquito never bites. 

He sips the sweet juices from the fruits and flowers, and joyously 
dances in the sunlight all the long summer day. He seems to have a 
happy, easy life. 

It is the female mosquito that sings about your ears at night. She 
sings with her wings instead of her throat. It is the flapping of her 
wings that makes the song. Three thousand times in one minute. That 
is very quick time, but it is the way she trills her deeper notes. 

The male! mosquito sings, too. He sings with those bristling hairs 
on his long feelers. He makes them vibrate very rapidly. His song 
is like the work done with a tuning fork. So he keeps his song in 
harmony with the song of his mate. 

But it is always the female mosquito who bites you. If you could 
just see her lancet under a microscope, you would not wonder that her 
bite hurts. She is after her food and she does not care much for the 
sweet juices. 

She leaves her eggs floating on a pool of warm,, stagnant water. 
You will see three hundred or more fastened together like a little canoe. 
By and by they hatch out; then the water is full of little black wrigglers. 
How fast they wiggle their little black tails! This brings the small 



ABOUT MOSQUITOES 


53 


particles of food within their reach. How they keep coming on top of 
the water! This is to get a breath of fresh air. At times they rest 
from their active wriggling. Then you will see them hanging from the 
surface of the water with their heads down. 



In about three weeks they begin to change. They are still active, 
but they no longer take any food. After a few days in this new life 
you will see them come to the surface, and if you continue to watch 
them, you will soon see the skin on the upper side burst open. Then 
out flies a full winged mosquito. 

‘‘Did God make the disagreeable little mosquito? you ask. “Is 
there any. good in a mosquito?” you further inquire. 








54 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


Yes, Grod made everything that has life, and every creature was 
made for some good purpose, though we may not in every case dis¬ 
cover that purpose. Mosquitoes are very excellent food for the dragon¬ 
fly, and the tiny eggs are greedily swallowed up by the little fishes 
in the pool. 


MOSQUITOES AND THEIR BOATS 



HE little mosquitoes that are so annoying to us during the hot 


A months of the year, have long bodies shaped like a tube. When 
they lie very still, their wings are crossed in ai peculiar mianner. When 
we are able to examine these little creatures through a powerful glass, 
we find them really quite pretty. The edges of their wings are covered 
with scales shaped like long plates and delicately marked, very much 
like fishes. Their feelers seem 1 to be made of the finest feathers, and 
their eyes are so big that they cover the whole head. They look like 
lace, and their color changes from) green to light red when exposed to 
the sunlight. 

When a mosquito gets ready to bite a person, he uses a trunk, or 
“proboscis,” resembling the lancets to be found in a doctor’s case. 
This trunk is a tiny tube, split from end to end so that it can he easily 
opened. Inside is a great bundle of stings that looks like needles. 
They are very sharp, wiith five points, and bent like a crochet-needle. 
They convey a drop of poison to the blood of the person that the mos¬ 
quito has chosen as his victim. When stung by a mosquito, it is 
always best to give the little pest time to draw the hooks out. The 
sting then is not nearly so severe as when the insect leaves the five 
poison-hooks in the flesh. 

Now, these troublesome little insects are very remarkable boat- 
builders. They lay their eggs in the water and these eggs float until 
the time comes for them to hatch. If you watch very closely, you may 
see these tiny egg rafts, on any pool on a bright summer’s day. 

These eggs are so heavy that one would not float by itself, so the 
wise mother joins them all together until they make a hollow boat, 
which will not upset even though filled with water. The upper end 
of these eggs is pointed and looks like a powder-flask. One egg is 
glued to another, pointed end upward, until the raft is done. It takes 
from two hundred and fifty to three hundred eggs to make this won- 



THE COCOA-TREE 


55 


derful boat. When the young are hatched, they always come from 
the under side, and leave the empty craft afloat. 


THE CACAO-TREE 


TT is very interesting to study the tree from which the world gets its 
^ chocolate. This is the cacao-tree. These trees grow somewhat like 

shrubs and reach a height of only ten 
or twelve feet. They thrive best in 
shady places, and it is on this account 
that they are selected to be planted 
between banana-plants to utilize the 
ground and also to take advantage of 
the shade offered by the wide-spread¬ 
ing banana-tops. 

The foliage of the cacao-tree is 
of a rich lustrous green, and its blos¬ 
som is waxy white. As you will see 
by the drawing, the fruit grows upon 
the main stems and trunk of the tree, 
and is a very curious sight, indeed. 
When full grown the pods are seven 
or eight indies long. 

The bean from which the choco¬ 
late and cocoa of commerce is manu¬ 
factured is the seed that grows in the pods. One pod is represented 
here as having a slice taken from its side so as to show the compact 
layers of seeds within. At first the pods are green like the leaves, but 
as they ripen they turn yellow. The careful cultivator will cut the pods 
from the tree instead of pulling them off, since it would be easy to in¬ 
jure the joint from which sprang the fruit-bud and thus prevent any 
more pods from developing at that same place. When the cacao-beans 
are taken from the pods, they are enveloped with a thick, white, slimy 
covering, and the beans are first put away to sweat or ferment the 
moisture away. Should this moisture not be allowed to drip off, the 
beans would sprout and grow. When fermentation is complete, the 
beans are spread out to cure in the hot sun on the barbecue. This is the 
name given to the drying-place, and it may be seen before the door of 








56 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


almost every native home in the country parts of this island—Jamaica. 
It is a place prepared on the top of the ground by scraping off the top 
soil, which leaves a, flat, hard surface, and is neatly bordered by a frame 
of wood. This provides an excellent place upon which are spread 
coffee, chocolate, pimento, and other seeds or fruits that ai;e to be dried 
or ripened in the hot sun. When the cacao-beans have been thus thor¬ 
oughly dried, they are ready for export. By various patented processes 
abroad, the delicious chocolates and cocoas of commerce are produced. 

But the natives use the cacao in its original state as a beverage and 
prefer it to the imported products. It might be of interest to you to 
learn how this chocolate is prepared here for the table. First, you will 
notice that it is called cacao while it is still in its native state, but as a 
rule it is called chocolate as soon as the kernel is broken for use. The 
beverage is called chocolate here also'. The native takes the cured cacao 
and by subjecting it to heat over the fire parches it. This makes the 
outer skins easy to pinch off and leaves the cacao-bean clean and ready 
for use. It is then placed in a mortar and beaten into a fine powder. 
After it is cooled, they mix in sugar and spices and mold it into little 
cakes. These will keep any length of time. When needed, the cake- is 
grated and the chocolate boiled as a beverage. It is delicious even in 
this way when it has been properly prepared. —Nellie Olson. 


DIFFERENT SPECIES OF THE CACTUS 


HROUGHOUT the arid and semi-arid regions of our country, or 



those which comprise the great plains east of Hie Rocky Mountain 
system and the desert plains west of the Rockies, the cactus in all its 
many forms and shapes is considered the commonest of plants. 

On the prairie lands of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and 
the Dakotas, a small species grows in abundance, almost, hid away in the 
scrubby grass. Sometimes a single plant not more than one fourth of 
an inch in diameter can be found far from any other of its kind, and 
again clusters are found in which as many as twenty-five distinct plants 
or portions of plants are huddled together as; if one plant. A plant of 
this species, with its roots, is shown in one of the illustrations. 

There is something beautiful in this form of cactus. Its needle¬ 
like thorns grow in perfect star-like clusters, which remind us of the 



57 


DIFFERENT SPECIES OF THE CACTUS 

perfectly formed snowflakes that only Nature can make. These needles, 
however, are so sharp that it is no uncommon thing when they are 
stepped on for them to penetrate through the leather of shoes and boots. 

When a boy running barefoot upon the prairies, the writer had 
almost countless encounters with these plants. It is needless to say that 

the memory of them is unpleasant. 

The flowers of this plant are. of 
the most beautiful and delicate 
shades of pink, and there is no pret¬ 
tier sight than the broad prairies 
covered with these cheering blos¬ 
soms. 

Along the creek-bottoms in the 
same locality is another species with 
broad, thick, leaf-like branches. 
These grow more in taller grass and 
are often bit off. with a cluster of 
grass by cattle while grazing. My 
first experience with anything of 
this kind occurred while I was herd¬ 
ing cattle in my early boyhood. One 
of the cattle, getting a bite of cactus 
in its mouth, began to bellow in a 
furious manner and to paw the 
earth, while the rest of the herd also 
came running and bellowing. This 
was kept up till the unfortunate animal managed to get the cactus out 
of its mouth. The broken-off thorns made its mouth sore for weeks. 

The two species just mentioned are the commonest kinds and are 
probably found over more area of the prairies and plains of the eastern 
slope of the Rockies than any other species. Still the cactus family is 
very large, and there are, species of almost every shape and size. Ari¬ 
zona perhaps contains the largest variety. In this State is found almost 
every member of the cactus family from the diminutive ‘ ‘ fish-hook ’ ’ to 
the giant saguaros that grow to a height of fifty feet. The latter cactus 
is the official flower of the State. 

The tall saguaro (see thej illustration) is very common in Arizona,. 
It bears a. very beautiful blossom, which is always on the very top.' In 





58 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 



fact, you will notice that the house-plant varieties of cacti produce the 
blossom either from the tip of the growth of the plant or from the ex¬ 
treme tip of the branches, as does the night-blooming Cereus. 

The barrel cactus, receiving its 
name from its shape, is also very 
common in Arizona and southern 
California. It not only is shaped 
like a barrel, hut often also resem¬ 
bles one in size. 

In the arid valleys and rocky 


slopes of the mountains are what 
are commonly called the “mound 
cacti.’’ These vary in size from a 
few inches across to that of a bushel 
basket upturned. These are covered 
with thousands of sharp needles and 
have no particular beauty; but dur¬ 
ing blossom-time we are inclined to 
have a greater regard and admira¬ 
tion for them. These mounds are 
then covered with beautiful, deli¬ 
cate, waxy flowers. Some are bright red, while others are of a beautiful 
yellow. Surrounded by rocks, parched soil, and scrubby bunches of 
grass, these present a charming and spectacular appearance. They 


The barrel cactus 













A STUDY OF CENTIPEDES 


59 


would naturally seem more fitting in our flower-garden, where rich soil, 
moisture, and sunshine give to the plants the beautiful green in their 
leaves and dainty colors in their blossoms. 

The peculiar construction of the leaf-like branches and main stem 
of the cactus, generally, prevents any unnecessary loss of the scanty 
supply of water which reaches its tissues. This is what adapts it to 
the arid regions. 

The amount of water found in a cactus on an arid plain is surpriz¬ 
ing. A knife thrust into one behaves in about the same manner that it 
does when thrust into a watermelon. Then, too, the plant itself, after 
having the needles removed, was found to be valuable as a food for 
cattle. 

The needles, or spines, being difficult to remove, made the cactus of 
very little use. However, the value of the cactus as food engaged the 
attention^ of Mr. Burbank, the welhknown California naturalist, and by 
his untiring efforts in crossing he produced a cactus without spines. 
With the thorns gone and the fruit improved, the cactus bids fair to be 
an excellent food for cattle inj dry regions. Thousands of acres of the' 
spineless cactus are now cultivated for this purpose. Mr, Burbank has 
found five hundred kinds of cactus suitable for feed for stock, and some 
are also found to be valuable in food qualities for mam 

— Wm. A. Bixler. 


A STUDY OF CENTIPEDES 

R ECENTLY I read this statement: “Centipedes have nowhere a 
good reputation. ’ ’ I began to wonder whether all centipedes were 
harmful and if even the poisonous ones had no qualities beneficial to 
man. I began at once to make a search for information concerning 
these creatures and their habits, and found them to be an interesting 
subject of study. 

They vary in length from two or three inches in northern countries 
to a foot or more in the tropics. Their flattened body is made up of 
many segments, or joints, each of which bears one pair of legs. They 
do not, as the name would imply, have one hundred feet. Some species 
have as few as fifteen pairs, and the number of pairs rarely exceeds 
twenty-one. A peculiar characteristic of centipedes, we are told, is that 



60 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


they never have an even number of pairs of legs, but always an odd 
number. 

Centipedes are active and ferocious. During the day they usually 
keep themselves hidden in dark damp places—under stones and bark, 
in decaying wood and leaves, or in loose soil. When night comes on, 
they go forth in search of food. They are flesh-eaters, feeding on 
worms, mollusks, and insects. As destroyers of insects they are of 
practical importance to agriculture. 

The smaller forms seldom, if ever, bite man, but the large tropi¬ 
cal species do and the bite is serious. The venom is injected into the 
flesh through a pair of modified legs situated close to the head and 
used to seize prey. The wound becomes red and swollen and exceed¬ 
ingly painful. The suffering has been described by those who have 
experienced it “as similar to what might be produced by contact with 
red-hot iron.” The swelling and pain, however, yield readily to an 
application of ammonia. 

As a, result of my study, I found that many centipedes are not 
only harmless, but really beneficial to man, and that I need not tremble 
at the name or be ready to end the life of every one I chance to see. 


HOW MISTLETOE AFFECTS ITS HOST 


HE time-honored mistletoe is not so innocent, or free from harmful 



A habit, as the whiteness of its berries might suggest. This plant, 
which for many centuries has been a. very popular plant for decorations 
in winter-time, has fallen low under the denunciation of those who have 
investigated the conditions of the forests of Washington, Oregon, and 
Idaho. 

There are very many varieties of mistletoe, and it seems that, to 
some extent at least, each species has its preferred host and does not 
grow so readily upon other trees. For illustration: On a certain river 
in Idaho the lodgepole and yellow pines are heavily infected, and the 
larch is practically free from its attack. In another river valley not far 
away another species of mistletoe is found, and it works considerable 
injury to larches, while the| yellow pine of this valley is not seriously 
attacked. 

For some time the general and gradual decline of the western larch 
has been reported as occurring throughout the entire Blue Mountain 



HOW MISTLETOE! AFFECTS ITS HOST 


61 


region. Finally investigations were made, and it developed that the 
primary causes of the deterioration was due to the suppressing effects 
of mistletoe. On the drier and more exposed areas, where the condi¬ 
tions are less favorable for the host and more favorable for the parasite, 
the destruction is much greater than in the more moist, and fertile valleys 

not parallel with the 1 direction of the 
prevailing wind. 

There are various ways in 
which the mistletoe injures its host, 
the tree on which it grows. It sends 
its roots through the bark into the 
growing layer and draws sustenance 
from the tree. As a result of this 
attack there grows upon the trunk 
or branch a burl which reduces the 
quality of the timber. When a 
young tree is attacked and these 
burls are formed, the food-trans¬ 
porting tissues, are reduced and the 
growth of the tree is directly hin¬ 
dered. Too, these knots often form 
open wounds for the entrance of 
fungi and insects. 

But the mistletoe produces the 
greatest injury in the shortest time 
by causing the formation of witch¬ 
es ’-brooms. Soon after a seed takes 
root upon a branch, the branch be¬ 
gins putting out from the point of infection many branchlets, which 
never attain much length. The cluster, or witches ’-broom, grows larger 
and larger until finally the weight is too great for the parent branch to 
bear. So with a gust of wind a little stronger than usual the branch 
snaps and the witches’-broom falls to the ground. Oftentimes a tree is 
robbed of its foliage and branches in this manner and as a result of be¬ 
ing thus deprived of its normal food-supply, dies) at a premature age. 

Various suggestions have been made for the protection of our 
forests in the States mentioned above and for the destruction of the 
mistletoe. ^• Gtq,gg Gvo/Jid/Ttbi 







62 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


POISONOUS PLANTS 


HERE are no beautiful poisonous flowers native to this country. 



* There are only three, plants that are really poisonous to the touch. 
They all belong to the Rhus family, and resemble one another in their 
uninteresting clusters of dull greenish-gray berries. 

Two of them, poison-ivy and poison-sumac, are found in the eastern 
part of the country, and poison-oak grows on the Pacific Coast. 

Poison-ivy is a common vine that climbs over rocks and that in 
some shady places covers the ground with luxuriant leaves. Occas¬ 
ionally, in fertile spots, it will raise branches like shrubs up over the 
rocky supports; elsewhere it clings to the bark of trees and climbs 
high. 

Its flowers and berries are always in dull clusters, but its leaves 
may become brilliant red and brown in the autumn sun. Do not pick 
leaves that grow in threes on a vine, but do not be afraid to gather the 
leaves of the woodbine, which grow in clusters of five. 

It is difficult to distinguish poison-sumac from other sumacs. Dg 
not call it dogwood; it does not look like dogwood. True dogwoods 
have beautiful flowers, and ape not poisonous. Poison-sumac grows 
like a small, branching tree; it is the cleanest and smoothest in leaf 
and branch of all the sumacs. The leaflets are long and pointed, five 
to eleven on one petiole. If you see little drooping clusters of green¬ 
ish-white flowers, or later the greenish little berries, do not touch 
anything on that shrub or tree. 

Poison-oak does not look like any oak. It has clusters of three 
almost round leaves, which grow on a vine like poison-ivy, or more 
often on a low shrub. If you see the clusters of white flowers, or 
berries, do not touch the plant. 

There are many plants with sap that is more or less poisonous if 
it reaches a cut. Do not let a plant drip on a wound. There are many 
plants with thorns and stings that produce painful irritation if they 
scratch through the skin. Pick their flowers carefully. 

Many beautiful flowers have sap that is more or less poisonous 
if swallowed. Do not ever hold flowers in your mouth. Do not give 
flowers to babies, for they are sure to put them into their mouths, and 
some of our familiar flowers have poison enough to affect a baby’s 
health. 


KATYDIDS 


63 


There are other flowers and plants that are harmless to man, but 
poisonous to animals, if eaten. Many who read these lines know the 
bad effects of the loco-weed of the West or the lambkill of the East. 
In pastures wheie buttercups abound cattle carefully graze around 
them, but will not eat the flowers or leaves, because of the bitter taste 
of the poison in them. 

The botanist and lover of flowers should remember two things: 
first, it is safe to pick any beautiful flower; second, it is never safe 
to let its juices touch the lips or any flesh wound. 


KATYDIDS 

/^F ALL the shrubs and trees that grow, some tender-foliage tree like 
W the willow will be selected by the katydids. In the year 1914 they 
delighted in munching leaves from shrubs on our lawn, and so far as 
I was able to discern, they made no attempt whatever to devour the 
foliage of any other plant, except a few basket-willows. Katydids are 
very modest and gentle. Their deep-green protective color makes it 
difficult to locate them on the foliage. At night the earth seems full of 
rasping noises of katydids; but when the sun comes up and chases the 
last bit of darkness off the face of the earth, the noise of the katydids 
ceases. When we go out to observe some of the noisy creatures, we 
become disgusted in the futile attempt. The trouble is we are likely to 
have a dozen katydids under our eyes and not distinguish their forms 
from the deep-green leaves. 

A number came to our basket-willow, and we tried to find them 
eating the foliage, but not until evening. On a number of nocturnal 
trips I found the katydids eating the foliage. I learned that when they 
are living on a tree the foliage of which makes good food, they rarely 
leave it. If our katydids ever left the basket willow, we were never 
able to make the discovery. At any time during the day or at night, 
we knew where to find them. 

One night about eleven o’clock, just before I retired on a train, 
one flew and lit on the glass window on the outside. The bright light 
in the car shone out, and I was afforded a splendid opportunity foi- 
studving the insect. Immediately upon alighting it began to make its 
toilet, Bv rubbing saliva on its forelegs, it made a fairly good towel, 



Cl 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


and it rubbed every part of the, body. It primped like some lady pre¬ 
paring to attend a social meeting. Despite the fact that our train was 
moving at the rate of forty miles an hour, it sat and clung to the 
smooth glass sash, and administered its evening ablution with apparent 



ease. When it was finished, it flew away. In the meantime it had been 
transported some fifteen or twenty miles. It was the first katydid that 
I ever had for a seat-companion in a Pulman! car, and before it left I 
learned to admire it. 

Katydids belong 1 to the grasshopper family. They sometimes make 
a noise in daytime, but this is rather weak and a very different one 
compared with the noise made at night. It makes the noise “katydid” 
by rubbing the overlapping wing-covers against each other. This 
noise can be made even with the wings of a dead katydid. The eggs 



THE, MUD-DAUBER AND ITS WAYS 


65 


are flattened, oval in shape, slate colored, and are placed in a double 
overlapping row on twigs and leaves. One female will lay as many 
as 150 eggs in one season. These eggs hatch out the following spring. 
In the Southern States there are two generations each year. In the 
North they are single brooded. —N. Grace Graham. 


THE MUD-DAUBER AND ITS WAYS 

' | V ITE wasps are indeed an interesting family. Being related to bees, 

they are somewhat like bees in structure and habits. Some live 
in communities, having division* of labor somewhat similar to the com¬ 
munity-bee; while others live solitary lives as do some* bees. 

Many of the solitary wasps display wonderful instinct in making 
their simple homes and providing food for their young. Since the 
mother wasp does all the work in providing a home and food for her 
children, it is little wonder that her young are not as tenderly fed and 
cared for as the young of those living in communities where there are 
many workers. Nevertheless, in a peculiar way, she provides well 
for her babies. 

There are a great many kinds of solitary wasps, and they are 
distinguished largely by the kinds of homes they build. The mud- 
dauber and some others, all of which are sometimes called the masons, 
build their nests of mud. Another class, sometimes called the car¬ 
penters, bore holes in wood and the stems of twigs or even in straw. 
Still others, the miners, excavate holes an the ground as homes for the 
development of their young. 

The mud-dauber is the best known of all these wasps, as it is very 
abundant in country places and builds its little mud nests in attics and 
outbuildings. Doubtless most of us are as familiar with its high-keyed 
buzzing sound as with its little mud house, for it keeps up a continual 
singing as it works. 

If we could follow it as it leaves its nest for a load of material, we 
should see it light upon the muddy bank of a pond or a drain, perhaps, 
and go to work with all its might, to chisel out a little pellet about the 
size of a sweet-pea seed. It is rather amusing to see one stand on its 
head with its tail straight up as, with its jaws, it completes the separa¬ 
tion of the ball of mud from the bank. Then with the mud in its jaws, it 
flies awav to* add a little to the cell under construction. 



66 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


As soon as the cell is completed, the wasp catches a spider, de¬ 
posits an egg on it and places both within the cell. It continues to 
catch spiders and place them in the cell until the cell is full; then with 
a ball of mud it closes the opening of the little cradle and, leaving the 
egg to take care of itself, goes to prepare another cell in a similar way. 

After two or three days* the egg hatches into a little, white, legless 
grub. It begins at once to answer the demlands of its ravenous appe¬ 
tite by devouring the spiders that are stored up in its cell. By the time 
these are eaten the grub is full-grown and ready to spin a little case 
for itself. In this case it changes into a pupa, and remains until the 
transformation from the grub to an adult wasp is complete. Then, 
moistening the mud with the liquid from its mouth, it bites a hole in the 
end of its cell and comes forth the image of its parents. 

If the eggs are laid early in the summer, the wasps hatch out and 
go to work at once to build nests and' lay eggs. If, however, the eggs 
are laid in the fall, the pupae lie all winter in the cells, not coming forth 
until the following spring. 

The mother wasp dies soon after the eggs are laid. But if she is 
hatched out late in the season and does not lay her eggs, then she 
crawls into some safe crevice and lies dormant until spring. 

As we look at the great things of nature, we are made to wonder 
at the mighty power of God, who created them; but as we study the 
many and peculiar habits and modes of life among the lower forms of 
animal life, we are impressed with the great wisdom of the Creator. 


INTERESTING NUTS ON TROPICAL SHORES 

S HOULD we be privileged to visit the islands of the south seas, one 
of the first things to attract our attention would be the waving 
coconut-palms. These trees tower upward to a height of about one 
hundred feet, and have slender, cylindrical stems about a foot in di¬ 
ameter. At the top they are crowned by a cluster of leaves, numbering 
from sixteen to twenty, which generally curve downward. The leaves 
measure from twelve to twenty feet in length, and have numerous leaf¬ 
lets two or three feet long. 

The coconuts also grow near the top of the trees. They grow in 
clusters and when ripe fall to the ground or are pulled off by the 
natives. Each nut is enclosed in a tough fibrous husk, which protects it 



INTERESTING NUTS ON TROPICAL SHORES 


67 


from the attacks of insects. Sometimes the nut falls intoi the sea and 
is tossed by the waves until it reaches some distant shore. Washed 
ashore and buried in the sand, it grows into a tree. In this manner 
coconut groves have been started on low, sandy islands where very 
little vegetation is found. 

The coconut affords a great portion of the food-supply for the 
inhabitants of the tropical coasts, one tree averaging from eighty to 
one hundred nuts annually. It has been the means of saving the lives 
of shipwrecked men who have been stranded on uninhabited islands. 
The nuts not only are eaten as they come from the trees, both ripe and 
unripe, hut are also prepared in various ways, as in curries, etc. The 
milk of the coconut is simply the juice of the fruit, which, instead of 
being distributed all through the nut, as in soft fruits, is collected in 
the center. This the natives drink. The kernel of the coconut furnishes 
an oil which is used in manufacturing ‘ ‘ stearin candles ’ ’ and also a kind 
of soap called “marine soap,” which forms a lather in salt water. The 
oil is also used for food. 

The fiber of the husks is used in making coconut matting, also- in 
making ropes, and is called coir. Taken from the ripe nuts, the husks 
are used for fuel. The shell is made into cups, goblets, ladles, etc., and 
id often finely polished and elaborately ornamented by carving. 

Along the banks of the Orinoco and in the northern parts of Bra¬ 
zil, we find the beautiful trees on which Brazil-nuts grow. These nuts 
are sometimes called cream-nuts or nigger-toes. Have you ever won¬ 
dered when eating them where they came from and how they grew? 
If you could visit their native shores, you would see them hanging far 
up in trees that reach a height of 100 to 120 feet. If ever you have 
thought that surely they do not have much of an outer covering for a 
protection, such as hickory-nuts and chestnuts have, you were badly 
mistaken; for though among the hardest nuts to crack, they have about 
the greatest outer protection of all. They grow from a flower as the 
apple growls. After the blossoms falls, a capsule forms, which grows 
larger and larger until it is almost the size of a man’s head. Inside 
this shell are about twenty of these nuts, packed closely together like 
seeds. The capsule is very hard and heavy; and when the nut is ripe, it 
falls down the high tree like a cannon-ball. The Indians will not gO' neai 
a tree of this kind when the wind blows, lest the falling nuts should 
kill them. At the proper season the natives collect the shells and break 


68 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


them open. From Para alone more than fifty millions of these nuts, 
it is estimated, are exported annually, in addition to the large quanti¬ 
ties which leave other Brazilian harbors. Besides being used as a food, 
the nut yields a fine oil, highy valued for cooking, and used by watch¬ 
makers and artists. 

We marvel at the economy of God in creating fruits that can be 
useful in so many different ways. 


O LOVELY AUTUMN LEAVES 

0 lovely, lovely autumn leaves! 

What makes you fly away? 

You make the earth so beautiful; 

Why don’t you always stay? 

You don your very loveliest robes 
Before you say good-by, 

Then turning, leave us all alone 
To weep for you and sigh. 

‘ The summer’s roses all have gone, 

But then we did not mind; 

We knew you would be coming soon 
On every autumn wind. 

You fill: the air with fragrance sweet 
And carpet earth with cheer; 

We can not have one thought of gloom 
So long as you are here. 

But when you fly, 0 autumn leaves! 

Old Winter comes apace 
And brings, unasked, a rug of snow 
To shroud your cheery place. 

0 lovely, lovely autumn leaves ! 

What makes you fly away? 

You make! the heart so warm and glad; 
Please, won’t you always stay? 

—Clara M. Brooks. 



THE CALIFORNIA YUCCA 


69 



THE CALIFORNIA YUCCA 


TN the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America 
^ thrives a shrub, and sometimes a tree, known as the Yucca. Yucca 
is an Indian name erroneousy transferred to these plants from the 

mianihot, a South American plant from 
the fleshy and starchy roots of which 
tapioca is made. Yucca was at one 
time one of the resources of the native 
tribes (Indians) of the deserts of Cal¬ 
ifornia for fibers, it being manufac¬ 
tured into blankets, cards, mats, and 
baskets. 

The yucca belongs to the lily fam¬ 
ily. There are about twenty different 
species, but we shall consider only the 
species known as Spanish bayonet. 
This plant is one that knows how? to 
meet hard times; it can gather and 
store moisture enough to flourish in 
the deserts. It makes and stores so 
much food that, when the right season 
comes, usually in May, there shoots up 
in a few days a stem ten or fifteen feet 
high, bearing one of the most beautiful 
flower-clusters I have ever seen. 

A yucca-plant in bloom I n i the accompanying picture you 

will notice the enormous size of this plant and perhaps wonder at its 
being called a plant of the lily family. This yucca is an unusually large 
one. It measures about twenty feet in height and about ten inches in 
diameter at the base. At the summit the flowers run up in the form of 
a pinnacle for about eight feet. At the base are large dagger-like 
leaves about three feet long and six inches wide. These bayonet- 
shaped leaves taper to the apex, from which projects a large thorn. 
The leaves can defend themselves so well that tills species of yucca 
has been called Spanish bayonet, and I assure you that the stabs which 
this one gave me when I approached its base were not at all pleasant 
After this plant matures, the stem that shot up so rapidly in the 







70 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


spring, becomes dry and of a brownish color. Where the white fragrant 
blossoms were are the round, oblong seed-pods. The trunk consists 
of a soft, spongy substance (pith) covered with about an eighth of an 
inch of hard shell; consequently it is very light. When about nine feet 
of the trunk of this plant was cut off, my two little nephews could 
easily carry it on their shoulders. 

One veiy interesting fact about the yucca is that it depends for 
the most important thing of all—its seed-production—on a tiny moth 
no longer than your finger-nail. Since the plant keeps its anthers, on 
which the pollen grows, away from its stigma, it renders the flowers 
incapable of self-pollination. The moth herself does not need food, but 
she knows that when her eggs hatch, her little larvae will be very hungry 
and that the only food they can live on is the yucca-seed. But she seems 
to know something much more wonderful than this—that the yucca 
will not produce seed unless the pollen reaches the stigma. At any 
rate, she acts as if she knew. This is what she does: Before laying 
her eggs she gathers a mass of pollen larger than her own head; next 
she lays her eggs in the ovary of the flower; and then she immediately 
crams the pollen down the concave stigma of this flower. So the big 
yucca can trust to the mother instinct of this tiny creature. True, her 
babies eat part of the seeds, but there are quite enough left to keep up 
the supply of yucca-plants. 

This picture was taken from a large yucca that grew in Pacoima 
Canyon, about twenty miles from Los Angeles. 

—Annabel Lee Hunnex. 


INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT NUTS 

A MONG the many nuts that come pattering to the earth in autumn, 
we find walnuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, butternuts, hickory-nuts, 
and pecans. 

The name “walnut” means foreign nut, so called because the nut 
was first brought from Italy and France. There are about ten species 
of this nut, but we are most familiar with the persian, or English, wal¬ 
nut and the black, or common, American walnut. The English walnut 
is cultivated extensively in southern California, The tree grows to a 
height of sixty to ninety feet, and has large, spreading branches. The 



INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT NUTS 


71 


leaves have a fragrant odor when bruised. The tree contains a sugary 
sap and is sometimes tapped like the sugar-maple. The unripe nuts 
are sometimes put in vinegar and converted into pickles. In the Old 
World the walnut is an important food for the poor people. The black 
walnut is found in most parts of the United States except in the extreme 
northern. It grows on one of the most! beautiful trees of the American 
forest. The nut has a thick, woody shell, and is inferior to the English 
walnut. 

The chestnut is native in most of the Eastern States. There are 
a number of dwarf forms, known as chinkapins, which are quite com¬ 
mon in the States south and east of Pennsylvania. These small nuts 
are edible, and are marketed to some extent. The chestnuts grow in 
prickly burs, usually three nuts in a bur, packed closely side by side. 
After a frost these burs break open, and then the nuts may be easily 
obtained. In Europe chestnuts are steamed and eaten either with salt 
or with milk. They are also boiled like potatoes by the poor people, 
or roasted, or ground into flour, from which bread is made. 

Two species of the hazelnut are native to the United States—the 
American hazel, and the beaked, or California, hazel; but neither of 
these is cultivated. Most of the cultivated varieties are known as cob¬ 
nuts and filberts. These nuts yield an excellent oil, which is used in 
painting pictures and also- in making costly perfumes. 

The butternut is so called on account of its oil, which is sometimes 
extracted. When the nuts are dried, they form agreeable food, and when 
taken green and picked, they are prized for the table. Sugar can be 
made from the sap of the tree, but it is much inferior* to maple-sugar. 
A dyestuff was formerly prepared from the bark and husks, and was 
widely used for dyeing woolens, etc. It was sometimes resorted to by the 
early settlers in the United States to dye their homespun clothing. 

The hickory-nut and the pecan belong to the same genus of trees, 
the pecan being a species of the hickory. These trees are strictly 
North American. The nuts of some of the species have an excellent 
flavor. The pecans are grown for the market in some parts of the 
United States. The varieties called paper-shells a,re the most de¬ 
sirable as they can be cracked between the fingers and easily separated 

from the shell. . 

The meat of the nuts contains about fifty times as much tat as 
wheat flour, and has about double the fuel value, or energy producing 


72 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


power; but is lacking in other essentials to make it as healthful a form 
of food. There is a popular belief that a little salt eaten with nuts aids 
in the digestion, but no investigations have found this to be true. 

When we know of the various ways in which our common nuts are 
used, we are made to appreciate more the goodness of God in giving 
them to mankind. —Eshell L. Blore. 


BANANAS IN TRINIDAD 

HEN Americans who have just come to Trinidad hear a woman 
carrying something on her head cry out, “Get your figs, ladies— 
figs, figs, figs,” they at once think they will get some figs. But when 
they go out to buy, they find that what the peddler called figs are bana¬ 
nas. I do not know how it ever came 
about that the people here should call 
bananas figs, but that is what they call 
them. 

The banana ranks first among the 
tropical fruits. It bears fruit the year 
round; that is, at any time you can go to 
a banana-plantation and gather ripe 
fruit. This is not so with many other 
fruits. The banana-plant has a peren¬ 
nial root, that is, the root lives for 
years; but the sprouts are short-lived. 
Young plants are obtained by cutting 
sprouts loose from the parent root when 
they have grown to the height of three 
feet. These are set in rows from eight 
to twelve feet apart. 

The banana begins to bloom in one 
and a half or two years after it has been 
established. Each stalk bears a bunch 
of from fifty to one hundred and fifty bananas. A stalk bears only once. 
After bringing its fruit to maturity it dies down and is replaced by new 
sprouts from the root. 

Bananas are very nutritious, and, in general, they have no bad 
effects on the system. Most varieties can be eaten at any time of the 







MANGO AND OTHER TROtPICAL FRUITS 


73 


day, wliile fruits that contain much acid are not eaten by the people 
here when warm from exercise. There is one variety of the banana, 
however, that many people here are afraid of when heated from exer¬ 
tion. I do not know the name of this particular one, but it is red and 
much larger in circumference, though shorter, than “the Governor’s” 
banana. The flesh is more solid and has a different taste from other 
bananas. 

Then there are two varieties that are very small. I believe they 
call one the silk fig. They grow to a length of from three to> five inches 
and are only about six or seven eights of an inch in diameter. The 
skin on these is very thin and does not lie in sections as does the skin 
of the larger kinds. 

We scarcely buy any figs (bananas). The people frequently send us 
some, and once in a while some one will send us a whole bunch, perhaps 
more than a hundred. We hang them up as people do in the stores, and 
eat them as they ripen. Bananas are gathered before they are ripe. 
The bunches are so heavy and the bananas so soft when ripe that many 
would be mashed and ruined; for when once a banana is bruised it very 
soon begins to decay and if eaten then in a tropical climate may induce 
dysentery or some other disease. —E. N. Reedy. 


THE MANGO AND OTHER TROPICAL FRUITS 

0 other tropical fruit, to my knowledge, grows so plentifully as 



^ the mango. Still many people do not like it, not because of its 
flavor, but because of a kind of tough string that grows around the seed 
and makes the eating rather an unpleasant job. One can scarcely eat a 
mango without getting more or less of the soft yellow substance smeared 
about on hands and face. 

There are many varieties of the mango. The trees grow to a height 
of forty feet and bear well. Thd foliage is dense, producing a welcome 
shade. All parts of the tree have a turpentine odor, and even the fruit 
of some varieties have a flavor of turpentine. Other varieties, how¬ 
ever, highly prized for desserts, are luscious, sweet or slightly acid. 
The unripe fruits are used for pickles, sauces, etc. 

I will describe a few of the varieties. Mango calabache (see cut) 
is about the largest variety. It does not get yellow, but remains green. 
It has fewer strings than the others, but has a poorer flavor. The 



74 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


mango ve is a beautiful fruit, has a good flavor, but has many strings. 
The mango-steen is about the best. 

Trinidad abounds in fruits, but an American is put to some brain- 
exercise trying to remember some of the names. We have a. large bean 
here that grows on a large tree. The pod may grow to be seven inches 
long, and contains a number of beans. The beans are so hard that they 

can not be eaten, but around them is a 
coat of jelly-like substance that is ex¬ 
ceedingly sour. The natives take this and 
sugar and make a very savory dish. 
There is also a long round black bean 
that looks like a stick of licorice and 
tastes very much like licorice. The 
licorice-like material lies in little layers 
inside the shell. 

Another tropical fruit not much 
spoken of is the chennet, a pleasant lit¬ 
tle round fruit growing in abundance on 
large trees. The skin is a crust-like 
substance easily broken and pealed off. 
The only flesh it has is a little jelly-like 
substance sticking tight around a big 
seed. One puts the whole tiling in his 
mouth and sucks off the jelly. When 
one gets a dozen big seeds piled up, he 
has not eaten more jelly than a medium-sized spoon would contain. So 
chennets are not worth much, which is true of many other tropical 
fruits. — E. N. Reedy . 


OUT-OF-DOORS ARITHMETIC 

Add bright buds, and sun, and flowers, 
New green leaves! and fitful showers, 

To a bare world, and the sum 
Of the whole to “Spring” will come. 

Multiply these leaves by more, 

And the flowers by a score; 









BEETLES 


75 


The result, if found aright, 

Will be “Summer,” long and, bright. 


Then divide the flowers and sun 


By gray clouds and storms begun, 


And the quotient found will be 
“Autumn” over land and sea. 


From this then subtract the red 
Of the leaves up overhead, 

Also every flower in sight, 

And you’ve “Winter,” cold and white. 


— Selected. 


BEETLES 



RE teacher had been telling her pupils about insect-life, and she 


* asked if any of the hoys could find some of those large white 
worms sometimes used as fish bait and called grubs. Some of the boys 
thought they knew where they could find some and were soon away with 
shovel and can hunting for the grubs and wondering what use their 
teacher would make of them. Finally the boys returned with several 
grub-worms. These they placed in some damp earth from the woods, 
according to the teacher ’s suggestions. 

In a few months the pupils were all surprized to see several June- 
bugs crawl from the earth and go buzzing about the room. They 
searched the earth, but found no grubs; instead they saw only the 
empty skins. 

The June-bug belongs to the beetle family of insects. When rest¬ 
ing, beetles appear to be wingless, hut they really possess two pair 
of wings. One pair, which is very delicate, lies folded snugly under 
the other pair, the two parts of which, meeting along a line in the 
central part of the hack, form a hard case, or covering. This thick, 
heavy pair of wings protects not only the gauzy wings but also the 

soft body. p 

Beetles live under the greatest variety of conditions and are found 
in nearly all parts of the world. They live not only on dry land, under 
rocks, and in caves, hut in both salt and fresh water as well, and a few 
breed in hot springs. 



76 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


The food of beetles and their young is as varied as their habits. 
Many of them feed on vegetable matter, both living and dead; other 
species live on animal food, which they capture alive; while still others 
show a fondness for decaying matter. Thus, in their* habits of feeding 
some are very helpful to man; but, taken as a whole, they alre con¬ 
sidered as being economically injurious. 

They have many enemies, as birds, reptiles, rodents, frogs, and 
toads. These prey upon the beetle in both the adult and the larval 
stage. 

In their life cycle, beetles undergo a complete metamorphosis, one 
quite similar to that in the development of butterflies and moths. The 
eggs are laid in such situations as will afford food for the young 
larvae, or grubs, as they are generally called, when they are hatched. 
The pupae of some species are enclosed in cocoons, or cases; others 
pass this stage in burrows in wood, and still others beneath the surface 
of the ground. There are various other modes of preparation for the 
pupal stage, which usually lasts only a few weeks or months, but in 
some cases years. 


HOME LIFE IN AN ANT COLONY 


NTS are close relatives of wasps and bees. Not only is their 



^ structure similar, but also their instincts and modes of govern¬ 
ing their societies. Bees have two forms of the female sex—the well 
developed ones, or queens, and the imperfect ones, or workers. In 
the ant colony there are (1) the Well developed females, which produce 
the eggs and thereby propagate the species; (2) the smaller imperfect 
females, or workers, some of which gather food, while others nurse the 
young; (3) the larger imperfect females, which act as soldiers 1 to pro¬ 
tect the ranks of foraging workers. 

Usually the males and the perfect females have wings, and the 
workers are wingless; but exceptions to this are not uncommon. Queen 
ants are more peaceable than queen bees, and more than one queen 
ant may, without quarrels, live in a single colony. 

When the winged males and females, emerging from their pupas- 
cases, make their appearance in the ant colony, they are guarded by the 
workers until a suitable time for flight. Finally, on the warm days 
of summer and autumn they are permitted to go into the air where 



HOME LIFE IN AN ANT COLONY 


77 


they appear in myriads. Mating nearly always takes place while they 
are on the wing. 

Soon after mating, the males die, and those females that escape 
their enemies settle to the ground, tear off their wings, and make ex¬ 
cavations in materials suitable for the construction of their nest. The 
eggs are then laid, and when the larvae are hatched, they are fed on 
some substance already stored up within the body of the queen—since 
she never goes out for food. 

When the workers of the first set, which are of small size, appear, 
the care of the larvae 1 and pupae is left to them; and thereafter the queen 
devotes herself exclusively to egg-laying. Thus a new colony is estab¬ 
lished. 

The workers appear to be very affectionate toward their queen. 
They feed her and follow her on her wanderings throughout the pas¬ 
sages and chambers. When in her presence they not infrequently per¬ 
form the same peculiar antics and capers that they employ to express 
their emotion upon the return of a lost comrade. 

As the queen produces the eggs, the workers carry them to suit¬ 
able locations. In caring for the legless larvae and pupae, the workers 
carry them to the surface layers by day, for the sake of the sun’s 
warmth, and at night or during rain to deeper and drier chambers. 

The larvae are, fed from the mouths of the nurses, upon a liquid 
secreted or elaborated for this purpose. These nurses carefully lick 
and rub the larvae to keep them clean, and when the time arrives for 
the adults to emerge from the pupae-cases, the workers are at hand to 
help them out and unfold and dry their wings and legs. Then the 
workers must perform the duty of guarding the winged members of 
the colony until a suitable time for them to take their flight. 

The nests, or homes, of ants are very different from those of their 
relatives, the bees and wasps. Instead of building their homes of 
wax or papery pulp, as these latter insects do, ants burrow into the 
ground or into rotting or living trees, shrubs, or herbs. Bees and 
wasps divide their nests into even compartments, or cells; and in each 
cell one egg is laid and one individual is reared. The ant’s nest is made 
up of a variable number of chambers of irregular shape, connected by 
galleries; and the young of ants are kept in heaps and moved around 
from one part of the nest to another, as conditions of temperature 
and moisture demand. 


78 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


The chambers and galleries excavated into the earth extend a con¬ 
siderable distance down to the region of constant moisture. Some 
ants of South America are said to cross wide rivers by tunneling under 
the river-beds. Sometimes the nest is carried above ground by means 
of earth heaped up and often cemented together. In South America 
ant-hills often exceed the height of a man. I recently saw a picture 
of an ant-hill in Africa, the top of which was crowned with a dwelling 
for man. Such ant-hills are from twenty to thirty feet in height and 
have.been used as look-out stations on the Cape-to Cairo Railroad. 


THE PITCHER-PLANT 



I N various parts of the earth grows a peculiar plant called the pitcher- 
plant. The one shown in the picture grew in Jamaica, one of the 
islands of the West Indies. This plant generally growls in swampy 

places, probably on account 
of its need of abundance of 
water. The leaves are long 
and hollow, and the upper 
part formis somewhat of a 
cap, which opens and allows 
rain-water to collect in the 
leaf pitcher below. 

Insects of all kinds 
(and they are very numer¬ 
ous in tropical climates like 
that of Jamaica) crawl 
down the inner surface of 
the pitcher, but are pre¬ 
vented from escaping by 
the hairs that line the in¬ 
side of the leaf and point 
downward. As a result the 
pitcher collects many in¬ 
sects, which nature has 


The pitcher-plant 


caused the plant to utilize as food. In this way it thrives in soil which 
is naturally poor in nitrogen. 






THE MILLETS THAT HELP FEED THE WORLD 


79 


The photograph from which this picture was made was taken on the 
side of the leases that do not show the opening at the top, but the top of 
the leaf folds over so neatly that a person not accustomed to the nature 
of the plant would pass it by as a common leaf. Those who are acquaint¬ 
ed with the flower jack-in-the-pulpit will recognize something of a sim¬ 
ilarity in the Way the upper portion, or lid, folds over the lower part. 


THE MILLETS THAT HELP FEED THE WORLD 

IV/T EMBERS of the vegetable kingdom as well as members of the 
animal kingdom are grouped into families. The millets form a 
very interesting family. They are a relative of the grasses. Their 
family is a very old one; for their ancestry can be traced back to the 
Stone Age, a period when men had not yet learned how to make imple¬ 
ments of metal with which to cultivate. They do not thrive well in 
heavy clay or wet soils, but prefer living in ai crumbly loam. In the old 
countries millions of bushels are ground every year for bread or mush. 

The three chief members of this family are foxtail millet, broom- 
corn millet, and barn-yard millet. Foxtail millet with its long, fat, 
bushy head seems to be the most important. It is a native of China, 
Japan, and the Indian Archipelago-, and is said to have been found in 
China more than two thousand years before Christ. 

Barn-vard millet is grown largely for liay. It furnishes a useful 
coarse fodder, and when raised for hay is harvested with a mower when 
the crop has just finished heading. If it is raised for the seeds, harvest¬ 
ing takes place a short time before the grain has fully ripened. 

Broom-corn millet is perhaps the most widely known. It is prob¬ 
ably a native of warmer Asia. We sweep our floors every day with its 
straws that have been made into brooms. In the United States, Italy, 
France, and Germany it is cultivated solely for this purpose. But in 
India, China, and parts of Africa it is cultivated for various purposes. 
It is cultivated in the Himalayas in altitudes up to 11,000 feet. It 
thrives on the dry uplands of central Asia, when the durum wheats and 
other grains are a failure. In Crimea it furnishes food for the Tartars, 
and has been found to be one of the best grains for poultry. It is a great 
food staple of the Kirghiz tent-dwellers ini the desert. They thresh it 
by pounding a sack of it with a stick and then winnowing it in the wind. 



80 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


The mallets are valuable, not only because of their hardy qualities 
and their food values, hut because of the fact that they can he sown' late 
in the spring and still be harvested without interfering with the harvest 
of other cereals. The seed is usually sown broadcast, though sometimes 
drilled. —Eskell L. Blore. 


THE POMEGRANATE 

T HE name “pomegranate” is known to most children. Those who 
are familiar with Bible stories, have heard of it. Others have read 
of it in Greek or Roman myths or other stories of ancient times. But 

perhaps few of our 
readers have ever 
seen a pomegranate. 

In the picture 
we have three views 
of a pomegranate. 
One shows the gen¬ 
eral contour and the 
position on the stem, 
also the opposite 
lance-shaped leaves; 
the transverse sec¬ 
tion shows some¬ 
what of the arrange¬ 
ment of the seeds in 
the lower half of the 
fruit; and the longi¬ 
tudinal section gives 
an idea of the ar¬ 
rangement of the 
double rows of car¬ 
pels, which shall be 
spoken of later. 

The shrub, or small tree, on which this fruit growls is a native of 
southwestern Asia. According to some historians, it was cultivated 
throughout that country for more than a thousand years before Christ. 






PECULIAR HABITS OF CERTAIN SPECIES OF ANTS 


81 


It is extensively grown in southern Europe, and may be seen in parts 
of America. The tree is very tender, being injured by a temperature 
of eight to ten degrees below freezing. In the United States) its culti¬ 
vation is limited to the southern part of Florida and the warmer parts 
of California. 

The flowers consist of a thick fleshy cylindrical or bell-shaped calyx- 
tube, with five to seven scarlet or crimson petals, and below them very 
numerous slender stamens, or pollen-bearing parts. The pistil is un¬ 
like those usually found in oranges, which have one row of carpels, or 
seed apartments. In the pomegranate it has two rows of carpels, one 
above the other. Each carpel contains numerous seeds which are 
part]y embedded in the inner surface of the calyx-tube. 

Each fruit usually attains the size of an orange. As it develops 
from the flower, the calyx-tube becomes enlarged and its wall forms the 
leathery rind, which is generally yellow with a rosy cheek. 

Tn some places the plant, is used for hedges. Also ornamental 
varieties with double flowers are grown. A kind of pomegranate pro¬ 
ducing fruit without seeds is cultivated in India and in Persia. The 
people highly prize this kind. The rind, the bark, and the outer parts of 
the root are valuable on account of the large quantity of tannin they 
contain. It is said that the finest morocco leather is tanned with the 
rind of the pomegranate. 

The most valuable product of the tree is the coat of sweet or mildly 
acid pulp, which encloses each of the many seeds in a separate apart¬ 
ment. The juice from the pulp is largely used to make cooling drinks. 


PECULIAR HABITS OF CERTAIN SPECIES OF ANTS 

I N COLORADO, Arizona, New Mexico, and Mexico, live several 
species of ants known as the honey-making ants. Like other ants, 
they live in colonies, in underground nests. 

The foraging workers obtain the honey at night from small galls 
on oak-leaves. After the other workers and the young are fed the 
honey that "is left over is communicated to a number of ants which 
simply serve as living receptacles. These live honey-hags cling to 
the roof of the nest-chamber and move very little, and in time their 



82 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


abdomens become enormously distended. ’ ’ According to the naturalist 
McCook, “ these living storehouses merely retain the honey until it 
is needed by the colony during the, winter, when it is given out from 
the surcharged crops to feed the colony.” 

In West Africa are found the driver-ants, which grow to be nearly 
half an inch long. Though blind, they go about, mainly at night, in 
large “armies” that kill all the. smaller creatures overtaken. When 
they enter a village, the negroes are obliged to leave their houses as long 
as the ants remain. But when the ants are gone, soi are all rats, mice, 
lizards, cockroaches, and other vermin; for the ants catch, kill, and 
devour all these that fail to flee out of their w!ay. 

The driver ants are said to have no fixed abode, but to) move about 
from one place to another, crossing rivers by clinging to one another 
in a living chain, or bridge,, over which the others pass. When disturbed 
by floods they form into spherical masses and float until they drift ashore. 
When, in an overland journey, they are about to cross a well-trodden 
path where they are likely to be disturbed, the- soldiers cling together 
and form themselves into an arch, extending across the whole width of 
the path. Under the protection of this arch the perfect females and the 
workers bearing the larvae pass without the least exposure. So tightly 
do the soldiers cling together that they have been lifted, by means of a 
cane placed under the arch, as high as five feet above the ground with¬ 
out a single ant’s falling. 

The foraging ants, also called army-ants, which are found in Cen¬ 
tral America, have some interesting habits. They go about in large 
bodies making raids upon insects and other small animals. As they 
march forward in columns three or four yards wide, including many 
thousands of individuals, larger animals flee from before them. Insects 
try to leap away, but more often jump into the midst of the ants, and 
even the largest are soon torn to pieces. Those that seek refuge in the 
twigs are caught and pulled down; spiders, however, sometimes escape 
by letting themselves hang by a silken thread. Birds follow these 
forays, darting at the escaping insects, but never eating the ants. 

Somewhat like the driver-ants of Africa, these ants have no perma¬ 
nent home. But as a temporary dwelling-place they select some hollow 
under a log or in the ground, where great masses cling together like 
a hanging swarm of bees. As in a chamber within) a living nest, in the 
center of this mass the larvae and pupae are kept warm, and cared for 


THE ACKEE 


83 


by their nurses. Tunnel-like entrances to this chamber are kept open, 
and along these food is carried by those left to work outside. 

These ants are said to stand at the head of the tribe in point of 
intelligence; and few ants show a greater sense of organization and 
mutual helpfulness. 


THE ACKEE 



F all the fruits that would be noticed for beauty alone, the ackee of 


^ the tropics excells them all. It is a fruit-flower; that is, its shape 
and color are such that in itself it is a very pretty flower as it hangs in 
the sunshine amid the bright green foliage. Its petals, or fruit-husk, 
are a bright red, while within depends the creamy lobes, each with a 
shiny black seed at its tip. This beautiful combination of colors, to¬ 
gether with the shape, makes what we might call a fruit-flower. 

So far as eating quality goes, its value is more as a vegetable and 
lies wholly in the creamy lobes, which, for lack of a better name, we shall 
.term food-lobes. These lobes are the only parts that can be used for 
food. The shiny black seeds and the pretty red husks are very poison¬ 
ous. Indeed, none of it is safe for food until nature herself opens the 
pods while they still hang on the tree. Should any daring or hungry 
person assay to use it prematurely, certain death would follow. How¬ 
ever, when the pod opens itself it is safe to eat. Only within the past 
few months the daily paper stated that some children who had cooked 
their own dinner had used “unfit” ackees, which resulted in the death 
of one of the children. 

Accompanying is a drawing showing a bunch of ackees in different 
stages of development. The flower proper is insignificant. It is of a 
yellow-green color and very small and spray-like. To give the best con¬ 
ception of the beauty of this fruit you should see its coloring, which 
we are unable to reproduce here. 

To show you the fruit in detail let us take an open ackee and ex¬ 
amine it. On the outside its husk is rough, and it is very thick. You 
will notice that, the husk has three divisions, and that there are three 
food-lobes. When closed, the lobes lie embedded in the husks, in a 
place hollowed out for them. Now it would be supposed that each 
division of husk would hold a single food-lobe, but this is not the ar¬ 
rangement. We shall notice the drawing: 1, a division of the husk; 



84 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


2, a food-lobe; 3, the ebony-black seed. You will notice now the high 
ridge (4) that separates the compartments (5) where the lobes have lain. 
It takes half of two different divisions of the husk to form one com¬ 
partment. This makes it all the more flower-like in appearance. It also 



brings the lobes into the air more quickly, which, no doubt, has some¬ 
thing to do with their purification when the pod opens. For it is when 
the pod opens that the ackee becomes safe to eat., 

The food-lobes are of a peculiar flesh-like texture and color. Before 
being cooked, they must be carefully freed from any little shreds of the 
pink lining that still clings to them. The seeds also must be taken away. 










85 


MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH WINGED ANTS 

They are then cooked in salted wlater like any other vegetable and be¬ 
come a very palatable food when served with codfish or even rice. We 
soon learned to like its strange taste and now relish it as well as the 
native Jamaicans do. —Nellie Olson. 

MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH WINGED ANTS 

/~\NE sunshiny afternoon in autumn, as a friend and I were returning 

from a short trip up one of the slopes of the Alleghany Mountains 
we observed something that caused us much wonderment. As we looked 
down into the vale ahead of us, we saw, darting hither and thither, vast 
numbers of bright wings—almost sparkling, so bright was the sunlight 
reflected from them. At first we thought they must be gnats, for we 
had often noticed swarms of gnats in the air; but we soon saw that they 
were numerous everywhere, and were not in swarms here and there, as 
gnats usually are. 

As we walked on„ still wondering what the insects were and where 
such a, mighty host could have come from, we noticed, near the edge of 
the road, a clay bank which was cracked open on account of the dry 
weather and hot sunshine. As we glanced in that direction our atten¬ 
tion was arrested by a swarm of insects darting back and forth over the 
ground, then into the crevice 1 and out again. So numerous were they, 
and so rapidly were they moving, that the eye seemed almost bewildered. 

On closer examination we found this restless throng of insects to 
be a colony of ants. Some were large, others were small; some had 
wings, while others did not. As some of the winged ants rose and flew 
high into the air, the question in our minds was settled. We knew then 
that the host of insects in the air were ants—ants on the wing. 

As this was a new experience, we proceeded homeward with the 
decision that we would make research concerning the habits of ants to 
find out What this all meant. But no sooner had we reached home than 
something else happened that made us wonder. Being rather tired from 
our walk, We sat down on the steps to rest. Presently a winged ant 
lighted on one of the steps and came running toward us. My friend 
brushed it back, and in so doing seemed to injure one of its wings. Then, 
to our surprize, the ant tore off the bruised wing and ran on for a: dis¬ 
tance of several feet, where, stopping suddenly, it tore off the other 
wing and resumed its journey. 



86 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


We were astonished at what seemed to us such peculiar behavior 
of ants and determined to learn something about these interesting little 
creatures. 


PROPAGATION OF FERNS 


44TJERE they are at last!” exclaimed Helen, as she observed the 
A A large fern in the sitting-room more closely than she had done 
for several weeks. “I have looked for them many timles, and wondered 
why I could never find them. ’ ’ 

‘ “What?” inquired Elsie as she drew nearer to the beautiful green 
plant, all the more appreciated because the out-of-doors was buried be¬ 
neath the snow. 

“Do you see these little brown spots arranged in rows on the under¬ 
side of the fronds? They are sori and contain spores,” replied Helen. 

“You mean seeds/’ spoke up another girl, and at once the inter¬ 
esting way in which ferns propagate was under discussion. 

The brown dots were not seeds, neither did they contain seeds, 
for ferns do not bare seeds. They were collections of spore-cases, and 
every wee spore-case held many, mlany tiny spores, each of which, under 
favorable conditions, was capable of producing a tiny plant; not a fern, 
however, for ferns do not, grow from spores. 

All ferns bear spores, but various species have different ways of 
arranging and protecting their spore-cases. In some species each little 
group, or sorus, is covered with a thin scale, or shield, while in others 
the sori are protected by the edges of the fronds turned back or by the 
contraction of the entire frond. 

When the spore-case is ripe, it bursts and scatters the spores 
broadcast. If you wish to see some of these spores, lay a mature fruit¬ 
ing frond, top side up, on white paper, and allow it to remain in a dry, 
warm place. The spores will discharge on the paper. A spore falling 
in a moist, warm place develops into a heart-shaped, green, leaflike 
body known as the prothallium, which sends forth roots into the ground. 
Sometimes the prothallium is an inch or more across, but oftener it is 
less than one fourth that size. It bears on its undersurface two kinds 
of cells, corresponding to the ovules and pollen-grains of seed-bearing 
plants. These cells unite, and, as in the case of the union of pollen-grain 
and ovule among flowering plants, a new plant, is the result. Bnt the 



THE ORANGE-TREE 


87 


new fern-plant is not wrapped in a seed-ease to spend an indefinite time 
as an embryo plant; it sends up fronds directly from the prothallium 
and becomes a perennial plant, producing spores each year. 

From the vast number of spores produced yearly by one fern it 
might be expected that ferns would be exceedingly numerous. But, 
eighteen months are required from the germination, of the} spore to the 
appearance of the first leaf. This and the consequent struggle for ex¬ 
istence against animal and vegetable enemies account for the fact that 
ferns are not more numerous. 

There are about four thousand species of ferns, ranging in size 
and habits from those with delicate moss-like leaves to tree-like forms 
4 ‘ rising to a height of 35 to 45 feet and crowned by a rosette of leaves 
15 to 20 feet long.” The vast majority of species lave on land, but some 
are aquatic, even floating; while in the tropics many forms are epiphytic, 
growing upon other plants, but drawing the needed moisture and food 
from thei air. 

Few ferns have commercial value, their chief utility seeming to be 
that of decoration; though in the early geological ages ferns helped in a 
large measure to make the great deposits of coal which are so useful in 
the world today. —N. Grace Graham. 


THE ORANGE-TREE 

T HE orange, which we all know so well, is of the same family of 
fruits as the citron, the lemon, and the lime. There are many dif¬ 
ferent kinds of orange. The manderin oranges of China are small in 
size, but very fragrant and sweet; so are the tangerines, which are 
somewhat similar. The Maltese, or blood orange, is grown in southern 
Italy and derives its name from the deep red color of its pulp.. 

The original home of the orange seems to have been India, from 
whence it spread to Western Asia, and thence, about the fourteenth 
century, to Europe. Perhaps it was first introduced into southern 
Italy and passed on to Spain and Portugal and parts of France where 
the climate suits it. 

An orange-tree covered with fruit is a very beautiful sight, and 
when it is in bloom is most fragrant. Very often in' a large grove there 
will be trees in bloom, while others are bearing the most luscious fruit 
ready to be picked. In a twelve-acre grove ini the southeastern part of 



88 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


Florida there are orange-trees, lemon-trees, grapefruit-trees, the kum- 
quats, or Chinese oranges, and loquots, which resemble our apricot. 
It is a very beautiful sight to see these hundreds of trees blooming and 
bearing fruit at the same time. 

Orange-trees grow to a great age. They often bear abundant fruit 
at from fifty to eighty years. Indeed, there are some trees whose age is 
supposed to be over one hundred years, which still yield a golden crop. 
When the fruit is meant to be exported to cold climates, it is gathered 
long before it is ripe, and for that reason the orange never has the same 
delicious flavor that it has When picked from the tree and eaten. 

— Exchange . 


BREAD-FRUIT 



T HE bread-fruit is a very common product of the West Indies now, 
though not originally native here. Its importation occurred in this 
way: Over one hundred years ago King George III of Engand sent a 

ship to the South Sea Islands 
for a cargo of these young trees, 
which he desired brought to the 
British colonies in the West 
Indies. About three hundred 
fifty trees were thus trans¬ 
planted in Jamaica, with the re¬ 
sult that now these beautiful 
trees are to be seen everywhere 
here. 

The trees grow to the 
height of twenty or thirty feet. 
The branches are wide-spread¬ 
ing branches and are covered 
with conspicuously large, shiny, 
green leaves. As the leaf-buds 
develop, they look very much 
like bright-shining candles among the brilliant green foliage, so bright 
are they. As each bright sheath unfolds, the new leaf appears, and 
sometimes a flower-bud may be seen within also. It is this flower-bud 
which finally produces the fruit. If you will look closely at the drawing 




BREAD-FRUIT 


89 


yon may see two* kinds of flowers—one quite elongated. This soon 
turns brown and drops off. It is pulpy in texture and may be preserved 
as a confection. The true flower has a small round head, and from 
this develops the fruit. 

Bread-fruit grows as large sometimes as a child's head. The one 
from which the sectional drawing was made measured six and one-half 
by seven and one-half inches. The rind is rough and of a bright green 

color, but quite thin. Inside is a snowy- 
white pulp with a core, or heart, in the 
center. There are two varieties of 
bread-fruit, one having a white heart 
and the other a yellow heart. Of the 
two the “yellow-heart” is the most 
desirable. This heart may be seen 
here in the drawing as slightly darker 
than the surrounding meat; but on be¬ 
ing first cut open it was very white. 
The sticky white juice that exuded 
from the rind and core (on being cut) 
soon discolored it. About the heart 
we see the tiny brown seeds, and radi¬ 
ating out towards the rind the fibrous 
meat. 

As soon as the fruit is fully de¬ 
veloped, it is termed “fit” and is cut for immediate use. Should it be 
left to ripen, it would become sweet and juicy, which is a very undesir¬ 
able feature in a bread-fruit. When the fruit, is picked “fit,” the pulp 
is dry and mealy when cooked, and it is then very much indeed like 
bread. It may be boiled or roasted. The latter process is the best to 
bring out the bread-like qualities of the fruit; though when carefully 
boiled and served immediately, it is found more easily digestible for 
tender stomachs. 

The fruit is roasted by putting it directly upon a bed of hot coals 
and turning it from time to time to form an even brown crust of the 
rind. This is then trimmed off, the “bread” opened for the removal of 
the heart, which is not desirable, and the remainder sliced for immediate 
serving. Butter and salt add to the deliciousness. It is indeed a won¬ 
derful substitute for that article of food. And thus we see how God 






90 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


meets tlie needs of his creatures in every land. Speaking personally, we 
are very fond indeed of the bread-fruit, and are very thankful that it 
is obtainable at nearly all seasons of the year. —Nellie Olson . 


THE BEECH-TREE IN WINTER 

I N the winter, trees, bare as they look, have a peculiar beauty that, by a 
little study, reveals facts and peculiarities that we can not see during 
any other season. 

Each family of trees has definite characteristics of its own which 
distinguish it from any other family. It is a few of these traits that we 
will consider now. 

By observing the peculiarities of the different kinds of trees we are 
able to distinguish one kind from another at a distance, by the shape, 
the branches, the bark, and the many other details that go to make up 
a tree. 

Few well-known trees are more beautiful in shape and the nature 
of their branches than the beech. When you once familiarize yourself 
with its peculiarities, you will always recognize it, even at a distance. 

When it grows in a thick wood, it has very few branches of impor¬ 
tance except at the top; but when it grows in the open, its branches 
spread out in a very beautiful Way. Another fact is that when it grows 
in a thicket, its roots spread out from the base of the trunk and do not 
root deep in the earth; while when it grows alone, it sends its roots 
downward. 

The average height of a well-developed beech is from sixty to one 
hundred feet. Its branches and twigs are smooth and slender. Its 
bark is clean and close-fitting, a reddish brown on twigs and branches 
and a. prominent gray on the main trunk. 

The wood is hard, very close-grained, and not easy to split. It is 
valuable in the manufacture of tool-handles, shoe-lasts, and chairs. 

The fruit of the tree, called the beech-nut, is enclosed in a prickly 
bur, containing one or two (rarely three) triangular-shaped nuts. The 
nuts are palatable and nutritious. They not uncommonly hang on the tree 
till very cold weather. Squirrels consider them among their delicacies 
and sometimes, store large quantities of them in hollow trees. 

The beech is common in the eastern and central portions of the 
United States and is said to grow as far north as Nova Scotia. 



THE BEECH-TREE IN WINTER 


91 


In autumn tlie beech is among the most beautiful of trees. When 
the leaves are turning to their different colors, they have graced many 



a canvas painted by some of the best artists of the world. Poets and 
writers have pictured its beauty for centuries. 

By more closely observing trees and being able to- distinguish the 
different kinds, we not only can get more enjoyment out of trips through 












92 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


the woods, but also can more/ readily detect the beautiful handiwork of 
nature, the author and preserver of which is God. 


THE NIGHT-BLOOMING CEREUS 

I T Was almost bedtime when Gertrude came rushing in and asked me 
to accompany her to the home of one of the neighbors. Upon my 
asking why she wished to go. she told me that this lady had a rare and 
peculiar plant which did not bloom until it had reached a great age, and 
then only at night, that on this night it was blooming, and that we were 
invited to see it. I threw a light wrap around me and went with her. 

When we reached the neighbor’s home, we found a number of peo¬ 
ple assembled to watch the opening of the wonderful flowers. In the 
corner of the veranda stood the tall, graceful plant, with its large flower- 
buds slowly expanding, while its fragrant perfume pervaded the whole 
place. 

The lady told me that the plant was a night-blooming cereus, and 
that she had gotten it when it was about one year old, sixteen years ago. 
It began blooming when seven years old, and had bloomed every sum¬ 
mer since that time. 

A bud when ready to bloom begins to open in the evening, and after 
a few hours a full-blown flower—a beautiful white wax-like blossom— 
is seen. But it is destined to a short existence; by sunrise next day it 
will be withered. 

This plant had always bloomed only once during the year, and 
usually that was during August. But last summer it had three seasons 
of blooming, the first one being in the spring. One cool night the flowers 
did not open until midnight or later, and they lasted until after sunrise. 
This afforded a good opportunity to photograph the plant in full bloom, 
which was done. 

The night-blooming cereus belongs to the great cactus family. 
There are many species of the Cereus genus. The stems may be short 
or elongated, creeping or erect. The Cereus gigunteus, or the giant 
cactus, sometimes attains a height of 60 feet and a diameter of 2 feet. 
There are several species that bloom at night, and they get their name 
from this habit. 

The peculiarities of the cactus family are due to its adaptation to 
perennial drouth conditions. Plants growing in well-moistened regions 








■ •..V 


/t >* f ..•.'-, +‘ 


m 


Wfv,-, 

‘ T . - ' 











94 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


spread their leaves out and expose a. large area to the air and sunshine, 
and the amount of moisture given off thereby can be replaced by that 
taken in at the roots. But in order to survive in arid regions the cactus 
must be adjusted to its environment. It must be so constructed as to 
prevent any unnecessary loss of water contained in its tissues and to 
retain all the scanty supply which reaches them. The body of the plant 
contains a large amount of water-storage tissue which retains Water with 
great tenacity. The amount of surface exposure is small and in most 
species the leaves have become reduced to mere spines and prickles, 
while the stems have become fleshy, sometimes resembling leaves in 
shape. The flowers are often brilliantly colored, and the fruit of some 
species is edible. 


HOW I CAUGHT A BUTTERFLY 

O NE day in the early autumn the postman left at my door a small 
square wooden box. The cover was thickly perforated with small 
holes. This suggested that on the inside was some manner of life which 
required air to breathe. I opened the box and poured the contents out 
upon the table. And lo! a bright-colored, wriggling, twisting worm 
greeted my sight. 

It was about four inches in length and about three inches in cir¬ 
cumference. It had more than eight pairs of legs. This left no doubt 
as to its correct classification. We quickly assigned it to its proper name, 

* 1 Caterpillar. ’ ’ 

This we knew was his first age of existence after leaving the egg. 
In that state it is called the larva. 

I had been expecting and even anxiously looking for the coming 
of this interesting little visitor. Also, I knew about its voracious' appe¬ 
tite, and so had prepared the most tempting dinner he could even wish 
for. Upon his table there were placed little heaps of mulberry-leaves and 
oak-leaves, and the leaves of the poplar, elm, thorn, and castor-oil bean. 

Presently, he lifted his head from side to side as though contem¬ 
plating the luscious dinner that was spread out before him. But this 
was only make-believe, as this particular species of caterpillar is wholly 
blind. He nimbled about quite lively until he came across the mulberry- 
leaves. These he greedily devoured until there was nothing left but a 
mass of stems and midveins. He stripped the pulpy mass from the 



HOW I CAUGHT A BUTTERFLY 


95 


woody structure as regularly and completely as you could do it with 
your scissors. Perhaps he knew this was to be his last dinner during 
his worm life, so he ate and ate as though he could not get enough, for 
he needed to lay up in store sufficient for a long, long nap. 

Soon after his meal he commenced a tour of investigation in his 
apartments. He traveled rapidly from corner to corner and from 
floor to ceiling as though dissatisfied with his lodgings. 

We finally carried him out and placed him upon a slender twig of 
a tree. Almost immediately he stretched himself out at full length and 
settled him'self as though for a period of rest. 

After a little time of quiet, he moved his head to the foot of his 
resting-place, and with his mouth he fastened the end of a fine, shim¬ 
mering thread of jelly as for a firm footing. Then straightening his 
body he carried the glistening, silvery thread, which hardened as it 
came in contact with the air, and fastened it to a point just beyond his 
head. 

In this manner he worked diligently, carrying the silvery thread 
back and forth and fastening it at both ends until he had completely 
surrounded liis entire body in a silken sheath. Then he formed another 
inside layer in the same manner, and still another until his little house 
Was sufficiently strong and firm to protect it against both wind and 
weather. 

At a certain stage of his building I took the scissors and made a 
small round incision through his sheath. He turned quickly as though 
impatient at the intrusion and then began patching up the hole. Back 
and forth, back and forth he fastened the tiny threads on the edges until 
the fracture was completely mended and his house strong and secure 
again. 

A tube carrying this fine jelly, thread-like substance extends 
through the entire length of his body and issues forth from two small 
canals on the upper lip. 

I finally cut the twig and placed it in my bureau-drawer to await 
further development. It remained there during the entire winter. A 
slight pressure at any time upon the sheath would create an agitation 
within which indicated that life in some form still remained. 

This sleeping condition Was the second stage of its existence and is 
called the chrysalid stage. 

As the warm days of spring approached, I made frequent visits to 


96 


PLANTS AND INSECTS 


the snug little cradle of my patient little sleeper. I knew that he would 
soon wake up and that then he would gnaw his way out of his nest and 
perhaps in time to catch) a glimpse of the early May flowers before his 
brief existence would close forever. 

One morning early in May I found his little nest burst open at one 
end. And lo! instead of the wriggling, twisting, green, and hideous- 
looking worm that shut himself up so carefully in the early fall, I beheld 
a large, gorgeously-colored, broad-winged butterfly fluttering about its 
cradle as if anxious to behold something of the beautiful outside world. 

And so I finally caught my butterfly. I carefully lifted the long- 
coveted treasure and rested it upon my hand for a while to examine its 
wondrous beauty. With its wings spread out, it measured fully six 
inches across the back. It was a perfect creature—perfect in its insect 
life, the third and last age of its existence. With thrilling interest I 
gazed upon it, so resplendent in coloring and so beautiful in form and 
appearance—a symbol of the resurrection, I thought. 

First, the creeping, crawling worm, fettered and bound by all the 
conditions of its earthly life; second, the time of resting in its narrow 
prison-house; third, its radiant blossoming forth from its long winter 
sleep into the beauty and perfection of its new creation. 

Instinctively, with my little captive still fluttering upon, the palm 
of my hand, I went to a window and held it unfettered far out toward 
the open field. For an instant it wavered and settled back in my hand; 
then] as if caught by the inspiration of the thought and by the impulse 
to fulfil its mission, it spread its wing and soared away upon the breeze. 

—Sara E. Far man. 


A PLANT THAT COUGHS 

/^\NE of the strangest plants that grows is the coughing-plant, which 
^ is found in the Sahara Desert in Africa, Travelers tell us that 
this plant makes a noise exactly like the cough of a human being. This 
peculiar noise is caused by dust choking up the pores of the plant. This 
makes a powerful gas accumulate inside the plant. When the gas. has 
gained sufficient pressure, it explodes with a peculiar cough-like noise, 
and thus it gets rid of the offending dust. —Selected. 




















